I'm Sorry
by jack2892
Summary: Link and Saria live rather happily in their comfy little cottage. Ganon is dead, as is Zelda. Her brother has been promoted to King (so to speak). But a new evil will soon terrorize Hyrule. This very evil will shatter Link's way of life, and he may have to employ the help of an old enemy. Slight AU, description in first chap. After Majora's Mask. Coarse language and violence.
1. Pure Normalcy

Chap 1: Pure Normalcy

**(A/N) Hello everyone! This is my very first fanfic! I do sincerely hope that it doesn't suck too badly, though I'm sure it's terrible and cliché filled. This takes place in a slight AU. In my version Link was sent back, despite Zelda's demise, through her final sentient (and spiritual) wish. Link and Saria have, ergo, been together since the age of 10, which puts their relationship at four years long. Which I'm sure is stupid. Well, I hope you enjoy. If you read Tolkien you may recognize my writing structure.**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun!

The day started out normally enough. Link had a nightmare, which seemed common after he defeated Ganon. He couldn't think of a reason, though. Not one that made sense, anyway. He defeated everything had to, and some things he didn't, but a single creature seemed to haunt his dreams. He'd never get a good look at it. It'd always be a blurry, amorphous blob in the dead center of a dark room. It did nothing. It seemed content to do nothing, to just sit there and watch, learn, absorb. Just search for any information it could use against him. After this, for the umpteenth time, Link awoke, screaming, and covered in sweat, lying beside his closest friend (and girlfriend) Saria. She began to stir and, in an effort to silence him, punched him in his chest. "Sorry," he said. "It's okay," she replied sleepily.

Sunlight began to pour in through the window as Link strapped on his boots. Ever since the nightmares began all he could think about, besides Saria, was training, progressing past his master status in swordsmanship. He had ideas of why the nightmares began, his least favorite being the return of Ganon, his favorite being pent-up aggression. The others involved evil beings of lesser power than Ganon. Regardless, training was one of the only things he did, and it worried the only adult Kokiri, Saria. Saria was, of course, only an adult because Ganon killed Zelda, therefore acquiring the Triforce of Wisdom. When Link defeated Ganon he acquired Wisdom and Power. Instead of using it for a selfish reason he asked his very best friend, Saria, what she wanted most. Thus, Saria became a Hylian

He went through his whole move list, which, though short, was very effective. It included slashes, slices, stabs, sidesteps, rolls, backflips, kicks, and a counter system he invented (and intended to show people, some day). After about two hours of hard work, exercise, and practice he returned to his humble abode outside of Castle Town. As he opened the door a scent rushed past him. Link looked left into his kitchen to see a cooking Saria. "Smells delicious. What is it?" Link asked. "Deku berries and bacon," Saria replied. That sounded terrible to Link, but he was being polite, which was something he wasn't. "Link!" Navi screamed as she flew out of his hat. "How can you just lie like"- Link cut her off by cupping his hands around her. "A lazy bastard, I suppose, _SHUT UP," _Link said while shrugging. Navi was beginning to be something of a nuisance to Link. The problem was that she was close to his mind. Too close. She could read his thoughts, being that she was his fairy. However, she did leave, he did follow, and find her and that in and of itself is another story for another time. So, nuisance as she was, she was family. And so she remained.

Saria sighed and got back to cooking and Link sat on their sofa. He was getting rather comfortable when Saria placed his breakfast on his lap. Link chose to eat the berries first, seeing as how he lived by the "Save the best for last" code. _Then Saria would have been the very last, _Link thought. He was glad she was first though. His happiness would soon wear off, as he began putting each berry into his mouth, cringing as their juice exploded from them. _These are WAY to sour to actually like,_ Link thought. Link glanced over at Saria, who merely popped them, one after one, into her mouth. _She's used to them._ Link supposed. Link heard Saria swallow, which almost made him do the opposite, and sigh. "Link?" Saria asked. Link turned, rather than simply asking what. Saria took her chance and pressed her lips to Links, which made him smile. They broke apart roughly seven seconds later. Link apologized for arguing with her last night, and Saria accepted. And that was that.

The day continued normally enough, save for a surprise appearance by Kaepora Gaebora. Link had, since his first encounter outside of the Kokiri Forest, learned to tune out reincarnated sages. It was an incredibly useful gift. The boredom did eventually get to him, though. _Just be patient, _he thought, _he'll be gone soon._ Eventually the owl asked "Would you like to hear that again?" to which our hero replied "No, for the love of Farore, no". And that was that **(Love that phrase.)**. Saria sat in a chair, playing with her long, green hair, looking amused. Link shot her a glance that said 'What's so funny?' "You just get so pissed when that owl comes along. It's funny." She said, her face breaking from pent up hilarity. Link scoffed and walked back inside. He began ascending the stairs to their room, petting their dog, Fado, along the way. That dog was a story that can be told here.

_Link and Saria were visiting Castle Town on "official business", which was a term they used to get alone time. Whilst walking the alleys to a store with groceries and miscellaneous items they came upon a man who was slowly bleeding out from a wound in his stomach. Beside him was his ever-loyal companion, the dog now known as Fado. Link noticed the man was suffering and, to ease his pain, played Zelda's Lullaby. The man fell into a sleep from which he never emerged._

_Mind you, though, that Link is not a murderer. He merely noticed suffering and gave a means to end it. If anything he is a hero, which he already was, so the point is, logically, moot. If not for Links kind act the man would have died a slow and painful death. Link, being appointed Head Knight by the rightful heir to the throne King Daphnes Nohansen II, refused to allow his people to suffer. Link told Saria to take the pup home whilst he brought the murderer to justice. This may not exactly be the right term. That would imply that the man spent time in prison for his crimes, which he didn't. A brown and grainy prison, perhaps, but not a metal and stone prison._

_Link went to the nearest tavern, which was curiously close by, and called out these words: "To the man known as Ron the Swift, I issue to you a duel!" The man came out, looking as a typical mugger would (tattered clothes, no shoes, etc.) Ron the Swift held a dagger in one hand and a bottle of ale in the other. He didn't know it'd be the last time he'd ever hold anything. Link drew his sword, the same sword he'd used in his Terminian adventures. I am speaking, of course, of the Gilded Sword. He flourished quickly before the man charged. One quick parry and the fight was over. Link had raised his sword up before the dagger reached his chest and kicked out. He then thrust his sword outward, which was coincidentally where the man's head had been. The blade went right through it and the man stiffened briefly before going limp. Link, in a final dishonor to Ron the Swift, spit on his corpse. "Good riddance," Link said sharply._

**I have, against my better judgment, decided to cut this chapter up a bit. On paper it was about five pages, front and back. But the problem is I keep on adding information I don't see as pointless filler, such as character descriptions (for OC's, not ones we already know every detail about), location descriptions, little illegitimate author's notes, etc. That being said, my originally 700 word chapter has become something huge (though not nearly as huge as anything Dannondorf has ever written). I shall update in about five days. Please review, it let's me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace**


	2. For My Mind

I'm Sorry

Chap 2: For My Mind

**(A/N) Hello everyone! The reviews I've seen since I uploaded "I'm Sorry" two days ago have been very positive, so I've decided to upload a new chapter three days in advance. Expect something like that quite a bit, because I get excited easily. I just couldn't stay away from you guys. Thank you, Norkix, for reviewing. You will love the villain of this story. And thank you khheroxasoray. Both of your wishes are granted. This chapter meant something to me because it was the first to stress the M rating. Enjoy.**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun!

Link snapped back to reality, curiously standing, Gilded Sword in hand, looking as if he had just created justice. _Okay, need to work on staying in reality, _Link thought. He looked at his sword, the sword he'd carried through his Terminian adventures, and had carried since, the Gilded Sword. His pupils dilated slightly as he looked at his beautiful heirloom, remembering all the good deeds he had done. The golden blade looked as if it had never seen a day of combat, and the blade, when touched, felt exactly the same. Link flourished his blade, his special taunt. The flourish involved spinning it in his fingers the hilt pointed outwards from his thumb, stabbing downwards, and spinning it back around in his fingers until it was upright. He would then diagonally slash to his left. The move was complicated and unique; it was a move that belonged to him.

He remembered all of the enemies he'd ever beaten. The ones he hadn't beaten with it the first time around he'd gone back to beat. Odolwa, Goht, Gyorg, the King of Ikana, and Twinmold. Link had, of course, not used his own blade on Majora, or any of her incarnates. At the very beginning he'd put on the Fierce Deity's Mask.

"Oh, no," Link whispered. Then came the convulsing, which came with screaming. No matter how many times it happened, and it happened a lot, Link always lost the battle the second he'd thought of his enemy, the Fierce Deity. _"Oh, come on. You know it'd be easier to just let me out. Give in! SAVE YOURSELF!" the Fierce Deity pleaded. No. I could barely control you. If I let you exist, no one will be able to stop you, _thought Link_. "Fine, then. If you won't let me out, I'll just torture you." the Fierce Deity stated. The god then conjured images of everyone who was important to him dying, making sure it dragged out Saria's demise. The god knew all of Link's buttons, what they did, and in what order to push them. The buttons _**(Which are, of course, metaphorical) **_opened the door _**(Also metaphorical)**_ to a section of Link's mind that he had purposely locked off._

Eventually enough was enough. Link focused until the mask materialized in front of him. "I am so fucking done with you," Link growled/panted/snarled. Link threw on his Zora Tunic and put his iron boots in his Kokiri pouch, which harnessed the power of magic to hold anything and never gain weight, something Link was happy about every time he used it. Now was no time for things like that. Now was the time to resolve problems long in the making. He stormed downstairs to a wide-eyed Saria. "I heard screaming, are you okay?" she asked. Link ignored her. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Lake Hylia," he replied coldly. He burst through the door and pulled out his Fairy Ocarina. He played Epona's Song and she, as always, appeared at the most convenient spot. Link collapsed as a memory of one of the Fierce Deity's attacks replayed, this time focused on Epona. "Bastard," Link gasped once the memory faded.

Link climbed up onto Epona's back and kicked her thighs lightly, a universal symbol to get going. _I hope this works. I don't know how much longer I can take this_, Link thought. In actuality, someone without the Triforce of Courage definitely would've surrendered or succumbed to its influence. Fortunately for all of Hyrule, however, Link happened to be in possession of the Triforce of Courage. He could repel the mask's evil influences for years, if necessary. He finished the thought as they reached the lake.

Link dismounted Epona to discover a muddy ground beneath his feet. He knew the farmers would be thanking Nayru for creating oxygen and hydrogen, thus allowing for rain, but he'd be cursing her for making his trip that much more difficult. He walked until he reached the brim of the lake, stopping purely for the reason of putting his iron boots on. He then walked forward for the twelve minutes it took to reach the bottom of the lake. He dug into the sand until he deemed it deep enough, which took no time whatsoever. He then procured a chest and a mask form his pouch. He opened the chest, put the mask in, and put the chest in the hole. "Goodbye, bane of my existence," Link said with a little bit of joy evident in his voice. _No! You can't do this to me! I am a GOD! _The Fierce Deity exclaimed. "That's weird, I don't think god's get beaten by fourteen-year-old adventurers," Link stated. That was usually true, but in this case the rules of logic must've made an exception, because it certainly happened. Link, for the first time in a long time, felt genuinely free. He removed his iron boots and floated to the top. The sun began to show through the clouds and it made the view on the way up absolutely beautiful. It felt as though the sun began to show in Link's heart. He took a few victory laps before mounting Epona again and riding home.

_It's over. It's finally over. I can finally sleep at night. I can finally get back to being in a romantic relationship with Saria. I can finally get back to my life_, Link thought as he began nearing his home. He smiled, which turned into a chuckle, which eventually became laughter, which became deafening guffawing. "YES!" Link screamed as he dismounted his horse. He opened the door to his house and shouted "Saria, I'm home!" There was no response. "Saria?" No response. Link was beginning to get worried. He ran upstairs and opened the door to his den and his study. He neared his bedroom door and hesitated. _What if she's with another? _thought Link. He immediately dismissed the thought. He opened the door, a bottle fell, and a blue orb flew towards him. "Link, is that you?! Thank the Three! There was a creature, and a loud bang, and they… they… they got Saria!" Navi screamed. "What? Who took her?" Link responded. He gasped as Navi blinked and went out, falling to the floor. "FUCK, NAVI!" Link screamed before collapsing. The last thing he saw was Navi being dragged away by a green tentacle.

**Like I said, this is the first chapter to stress the M rating**. **There was cursing, and there will be violence, and lots of it. Be prepared, because it come in full force next chapter. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace**


	3. Because I Care

Chap 3: Because I Care

**(A/N) Hello everyone! I've decided to lengthen up my chapters a bit. Norkix has informed me that they are a bit short (while he was being very funny) and a flaw like that bothers me. This chapter is going to be a bit of a mind-freak in ways. The person who may initially seem like the villain is not, in fact, the villain. Saria makes a minor appearance in this chapter, but it's mainly about Link.**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun!

Saria ran. There was good reason for it, too. She was being chased by creatures, creatures she couldn't identify, that clearly had malicious intent. Why was she being chased? Not even she knew. All she did know of the situation was that she was at her house and then she wasn't. That was sixteen minutes ago. She looked back at the terrible creatures, which had three eyes, purple skin, and one arm. They ran on all-three's, distended lower jaw bobbing as they bounced. Their appearance made Saria want to stop moving and throw up, but she couldn't; she'd be eaten like the friend she had over earlier. It just picked her up and stuffed down her down it's gullet. That's when Saria ran.

Saria made the mistake of looking up to pray, a mistake she would soon pay for. She fell down a very discreet hole and landed with an "oomph!" 10 feet below. She decided to catch her breath in this strangely illuminated area. Just ahead of her was a fountain, with marble pillars and fresh water. _Thank Farore,_ thought Saria. As she walked up she began to notice floating orbs. "Saria?" said a voice. Saria looked for whoever produced the voice, and the orb flew closer. "Saria, over here." said the voice again. Saria looked in the direction of the voice and saw the orb. "Saria!" it shouted. _Oh, fairies. Forgot what they look like. _"Who are you? Why do you know my name?" Saria asked the orb. "Saria," the fairy said, sounding hurt, "it's me, Mimi." That's when Saria began to remember her time before being a Hylian.

"Mimi?" Saria asked, the sadness evident in her voice. Mimi glowed even brighter, which meant the fairy was happy. Saria plucked her out of the air and gently hugged her. The other fairies let out an "Aww" chorus. It was indeed an emotional moment, for both Saria and Mimi and all of the other fairies.

* * *

Link awoke in a dark, mysterious dungeon. As he opened his eyes, his first thought was _Of course_. A very faint screaming could be heard from the room beyond his door. His second thought was _How do I get out of here_, and his third one was _Magic._ And the thought wasn't even sarcastic! "_Corrosium," _he whispered. A keese covered in acid materialized in front of him. He told it, in ancient Hylian, to fly into his chains, which bound him by wrist to the stone wall behind him. Luckily the keese's acid didn't touch Link's arms, wrists, or hands. With that taken care of, he proceeded through the door. Nothing could've prepared him for what he saw.

Navi sat midair supported by chains through three of her wings, one of which was missing. Several cuts lined her body, from which a bluish liquid was produced. "No, no, no, no, no. Navi, stay with me!" he said to the unconscious fairy. He grabbed her chains and, with all his might, tore them from the ceiling. Link sat down to catch his breath when he noticed his Kokiri pouch. _My luck was too good lately. Something's up. _He picked up the pouch and began rooting through it when he felt a bottle. He pulled it out and saw that it was filled with a viscous blue liquid. He ran back to Navi and began to open the bottle. "Navi, open your mouth," he said to the fairy. She did so, despite being unconscious, and he allowed a drop of the goo to enter her mouth. Her cuts began to simultaneously heal and she regained consciousness. Before she began producing light again, Link thought about how he had never seen Navi when she wasn't producing light. She wore a skin tight blue dress, had sky blue hair, and blue grey eyes. She was very pretty, for a small little winged creature.

"Hey, Link." she said. "Hey," he replied. They were both very happy at Navi's health. "Hey, Link, do you know what this reminds me of?" she asked. He shook his head. "This reminds me of, if only vaguely, when we went inside Lord Jabu-Jabu's belly." He remembered now: he went in to save Princess Ruto and acquire the Zora's Sapphire, the Zora engagement ring. "Yeah, I remember now."

_Link had just gone through the same hole in the floor for, like, the third time. He sat down for the first time in about three days (which had a significance he would only know of in the future). Navi was flying around his head, brightly, deep in thought. They were in comfortable silence, neither truly wishing for the silence to be broken. Navi had made her decision as to what she would do with her thoughts. "Link?" she said, breaking their silence. He looked at her, silent as he was when he was young. "Why don't you ever back down? You haven't rested in days, you haven't even stopped to take a breath." she asked. He thought for a short while, and then gave his answer. "Because of them. I never back down because of that Gerudo man, Ganondorf, because of Mido, and because of Mina." Navi blinked and said "Mina? That bitchy Kokiri? What do you have to do with her her?"_

_"Because, first of all, she rejected me when I asked her to the festival two months ago, second of all, she insults me every time she sees me, and third of all, she talks about me behind my back. I want her to stop, and I think being the reason she still exists will do it." he explained. Navi thought for a second to look for words of courage. She found almost none, instead finding sentences of courage. "Link, you don't have to prove anything to anyone. Not to Mido, not to Mina, not to Ganondorf. Mido, well, he can suck it." she said, which made Link think about where she learned all these curse words and euphemisms. "Mina's a bitch. She deserves none of your time or thoughts. Ganondorf doesn't have anything to do with you proving yourself, but you must care about him. He wants to destroy your world, and you're the only one who can stop him. Okay?" Link thought for a moment about what she had said, and discovered how right she was. Why does he care about what Mido and Mina think?_

_"Navi, you're absolutely right. I don't care about them anymore; all I care about is stopping that man." Link said. Navi smiled. "Of course I'm right. I'm the wise fairy guiding the unintelligent young Hylian boy." Link shook his head. "I'm unintelligent like you're Princess Zelda." Navi frowned. Link, you'd just flail around if you didn't have me flying dangerously close to all of your enemies. You should thank me for not asking anything of you, other than that you succeed in your mission." she said. As was per usual, whenever Navi said something in response to something else, she had a point._

"Remember? This is like the mirror of that; you needed my help, and I needed yours." Link began to chuckle. "That's a perfect way of looking at that, Navi." Their moment was interrupted by the laughter of a certain purple tinted, cloaked mage behind them. "That's cute, really. I wish I could just freeze you all in stone like that." he said while moving and making his two index fingers and thumbs into a rectangle. The move slightly confused Link, who knew nothing of what the man was talking about. "Oh, you don't know me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vaati, mage hailing from the Minish." he said, bowing as he did so. Link still didn't quite remember. He whistled and a moblin brought over Princess Zelda. _What the hell?! _He touched her and she turned to stone. "No! You don't fucking touch her!" Link shouted. He dropped Navi and ran at Vaati. Vaati merely flicked his wrist and Link flew back into the wall. "Oh, man. My boss knows the _best_ black magic!" Vaati exclaimed. Link groaned and got up. Growling, he shouted "Infiernum mantelon!" A sword ablaze appeared in his left hand. Vaati smirked and shouted "Electrosium bolos!" A sword radiating electricity appeared in his right hand.

Link nodded at Vaati, who returned the gesture. Mages were not known for allowing a simple fight or argument get in the way of respect. The moblin, which Link just remembered existed, growled and took a defensive stance. Link whispered "Shadus meus" which caused an almost exact replica to appear next to him. The only difference was that the other Link wore a black tunic, was bleached white, and spoke purely in Hylian. Link was fortunate to be fluent in Hylian, thus allowing for team work. It is interesting to note, however, that both Link and Dark Link have Navi as their guardian fairy. "_Take care of that moblin. This should be very easy." _Link said_. "I'll _do it. Good luck with Vaati." Dark Link told Link. Both shouted and sprinted at their targets.

Link slashed at Vaati, who blocked his strike and thrust outward. Link parried and kicked Vaati in the chest and sliced downward. Vaati put his sword, edge facing Link, up and blocked Link's strike. He punched, meaning to connect with Link's jaw, who caught it and twisted hard, breaking Vaati's wrist. Vaati shouted and sword-bunted Link. Link got all of the electricity flowing through it and fell down, twitching. Dark Link was too busy dealing with the wounded moblin to help Link, which was unfortunate. Vaati walked over to Navi and picked her up. Dark Link was finished with toying with the moblin and cut his spear in half, which angered it. He then stabbed it through the heart as it charged him.

Vaati produced a small dagger from a pocket in his cloak. Dark Link and Link looked at him in both stunned silence and terror. "Good bye Link. I'll miss you. I'm ready." she said sadly. Some of the most important parts of her life flashed before her eyes. _Link! Wake up! /Goodbye, Great Deku Tree. /There's no way he's going to hold me back again! This time, we fight together! /Of course she loves you, Link. /You're choosing mortality with Link over immortality_? /_Thank you for finding me, Link. I missed you._ He put the dagger to the right side of Navi's neck and moved swiftly to the left. Both Link's she a single tear and charged. Vaati threw Navi's body to the floor and flicked his wrists in both Links' direction. They flew for a split-second and fell to the floor. They got back up immediately and charged again. Vaati furrowed his brow in confusion of their action and decided to merely dematerialize before they struck. They swung, still, though at nothing, for Vaati was gone. Were he a second slower, he would've been in three pieces. "VAATI! I'LL KILL YOU!" both Links' shouted at the same time. They both cast their glance towards the headless Navi. "No, no, no, no, no. Navi, please…" they said as they both kneeled down, Link picking her up. "No…" Link put her in his pouch so he could give her a proper burial when he left the dungeon.

Luckily, the door to his left was the exit to the dungeon. The Links' walked out and began to created tombstone from a large piece of nearby tree bark. The tombstone **(tombwood?) **would read:

**Navi**

**A great friend and a helpful ally. She helped me when I needed her most, gave me courage when I needed it most, and gave her life when I needed her to. She will be missed.**

**-Link**

**_Though I barely knew her, mainly spending time in the Dark Realm, I cherished our time together. I miss her, and will continue to miss her until my days end, which will never happen._**

**_-Dark Link_**

**Hey. I hated writing this because I do really like Navi. I only did it because I felt it would make for an excellent story later on. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, because I certainly didn't. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	4. A Strange Day Indeed

Chap 4: A Strange Day Indeed

**(A/N) Hello everyone! I like this chapter because it develops my story quite a bit. Why, you may ask? I'll never tell. Cue evil laughter. Short A/N is short, but oh, well. Enjoy!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun!

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

The Links' ran across Hyrule field in no real direction. They honestly had no idea which direction to go in; they honestly had no idea where Saria was. Saria's disappearance worried Link to no end, and Navi's sacrifice did not help at all. Both Links missed her immensely, but, despite their grief, they ran. _"We have to hurry! Saria isn't safe; we need to get her to safety!" _Link said to Dark. _"Saria can wait!" _Dark Link said while stopping_, "We need to save Hyrule." _Link stopped and turned about-face. "_What did you say?" _Link said in his threatening tone. He didn't account for Dark Link being an exact copy of him. _"I said we need to save Hyrule. Saria is an individual; Hyrule is a country. Even if we saved Saria, she wouldn't have a home to come back to. We need to prioritize and put the needs of the people over the selfish needs of the one." _Link took offense to this, being very protective of his girlfriend, and drew his sword. _"You take that back. I am NOT selfish."_ Dark Link drew his sword. _"The words your saying convinces me otherwise. We need to help your whole country, not just one person." "That's awfully wise for," _Link said condescendingly, _"a being of the Dark."_

Dark Link lunged at Link, who blocked his strike and kneed him in the gut. Dark Link arose and, with a shout, grabbed at Links throat. He grabbed on and crushed his wind pipe. He and Link fell to the ground. _"THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING! You are being SO SELFISH! REALIZE THAT THIS IS YOU! And, apologize for insulting my country!" _Dark Link screamed. Link gasped for air until his lungs burnt and his vision began to fade. _"I-I'm sorry," _Link gasped. Dark Link let go of Link's throat and stood up. _"Okay. Come on. And, I guess I'm sorry, too." _Dark Link said while extending his hand to Link, who grabbed it and immediately was on his feet. _"Let's rest near this river. I think we need to set up camp and leave at first light," _Dark Link advised. Link nodded and began to walk towards the river.

* * *

It began to get dark outside of Saria's little shelter. _"Thank Farore I found this hole. I wonder what this serves as. And why is Mimi here? I haven't seen her since she died four years ago. _She thought. As she finished her thought, all the fairies began to chant. "A newcomer arrives today, so we shall laugh, and love, and play. A newcomer arrives today, and we shall greet her today!" Saria didn't think it sounded that great, but she chose to keep that to herself. A golden light began to create a vortex around an area **(which is a lame description)**. The light eventually dissipated and Saria's eyes widened. A blue orb appeared before her eyes, looking dull. Saria knew that meant fairies were weak or sad, and this fairy was VERY sad. "Saria?" it said. "Navi? Why are you here?" Saria asked. Navi's light dimmed slightly. "Saria… I died. This is where respected dead fairies go to spend their days in happiness," Navi explained. Saria's eyes (if possible) widened even further. "No. That can't be. Link protects you, you can't be dead." Navi flew to Saria. "Link did protect me. And he saved me. He tried to save me, but that mage just fought him off. He didn't even break a sweat." Navi said, sounding like she was sobbing. Saria fell to her knees and prayed that Link would find her soon.

* * *

Link and Dark Link were sitting around the fire they had created, sharing stories of battle and profit. _"And then-and then, he asked me what I should do with him." _Link said, in the middle of his story. _"And what'd you say?" _Dark asked. _"I told him he should walk off the cliff in Gerudo Valley, and I really couldn't care less." _Link said, very close to the end of his tale. Dark Link was laughing his ass off. _"What happened next?"_ Dark asked. _"As it turns out, he took my advice and did so the next day. And not a single fuck was given." _Link finished. Dark laughed as loud as he could, and told his own story. After a few more stories, and lots of laughing, they went to sleep. Link had a nightmare that night.

* * *

_Link, Saria, and Navi ran through a dead field. There was little to no life for miles, and what could be seen that did live were monsters. A huge stalchild chased them through the field, claiming they were intruders, which surprised Link, as he didn't think stalchildren were smart enough to speak. The stalchild eventually reached out and grabbed Saria. She screamed and he squeezed, crushing her to death. "No!" Link screamed. Navi began to grow, eventually being the size of Links head. "What the hell?!" Link shouted. Navi continued to grow until she was roughly the size of a Goron, at which point she popped. She was simply there one moment, gone the next. The stalchild grabbed Link and, in one movement, shoved him in his mouth._

* * *

Link awoke, screaming, covered in sweat. Dark Link, in an attempt to silence him, kicked him through his sheets. _"Sorry," _Link said. _"Shut up." _Dark replied.

It was 6 A.M. when Link woke up. He was groggy, and still tired, despite getting a full nights rest. _"Come on! You sound like a little kid!" _Dark Link informed Link. Link arose slowly, carefully, popping as he did so. Once he was finally up, he yawned and stretched, working out any more nitrogen bubbles caught between his joints. _"That looks like it felt good," _said Dark Link. Link nodded and picked up his sword and shield. Dark Link walked to the river to fill their canteens and Link sat to think, enjoying the silence. _"Illuminas spheros", _Link whispered. A small version of the Sun appeared in his hands, and Link smiled. It was a cold morning, and the heat from the light warmed his numb fingers. "_Ados", _he whispered. The ball disappeared and Link began to walk towards the river.

_"Hey", _Link said to Dark Link. _"Hey."_ Link took a seat next to him. _"I wanted to apologize for yesterday," _said Link. Dark looked at Link and said _"You already apologized. You don't need to do it again." _Link looked at Dark and said _"No, I didn't. I said I was sorry, but I never apologized. I WAS being selfish. I WAS putting my wants above Hyrule's needs. And I insulted your homeland. I'm sorry." _Dark stood up and began to walk away, and Link followed. Dark turned around and wrapped his arms around Link. Link did the same and the two friends shared a moment of silence. They released each other and walked back to camp. Link put the fire out and Dark collected their provisions. _"Let's go," _Link said. Dark nodded and the two began to walk.

* * *

It came to Link's attention, five minutes later, that they had no destination. _"Hey, you know what I just thought of?" _Link asked. Dark looked at Link. _"This is the first day in four years that Navi hasn't been with me." _Link and Dark both suddenly became interested in their boots. _"Also, we don't know where we're going." _Dark Link looked at Link, a surprised expression on his face. "WHAT?!" he said, the only word he knew in English. _"We've been walking and running in no direction, while that Vaati guy and his boss wreak havoc, and you JUST bring it up?!" _Link flinched at Dark's sudden anger. Dark was prone to mood swings and sudden bouts of anger. _"Calm down, Dark." _Link said while moving his hands, palms down, in a downward fashion. _"No, I will not calm down! We've wasted so much time! Is there anywhere we could go to make it up?" _Dark shouted. Link nodded and began walking east. _"Hey, hey! Wait up!" Dark shouted as he followed after Link. _

Around thirty minutes later they arrived at a log opening. Dark Link "ahhed" in faux-understanding. Link motioned for Dark Link to follow and walked through the log opening.

The Kokiri all stared at Link and his strange, dark friend as they walked through the village. "Who is he?" "Why is he with Link?" "He's kind of cute." Two unknown Kokiri said, and Mina. Link scoffed and they continued on their trail. Mina ran up to Dark, her hat pushed nonchalantly to her head's side. "Hey, big boy. What are you doing in this part of Hyrule?" she asked, using her best possible seductive tone. Dark gave her a confused look and Link understood his problem. _"She likes you," _he said. "Oh," Dark Link said, _"Sorry, babe. You're not my type. I'm more into, oh, I don't know, women MY age and size."_ Link translated this for Mina and Dark walked away, smirking. Mina stood there, a surprised look on her face. Link followed after Dark, snickering the entire way, and then some after. _"That. Was. Terrific. Thank you so much, I really needed that," _Link said. Dark looked at Link, smiling, and said _"No problem. Felt good." _

They arrived at the Great Deku Tree's clearing. "Hello, Link. Welcome back! It has been quite some time since we last met. Who is your companion?" he said, and asked. "Hello, Father. I've missed you. This is my friend, Dark Link. He is accompanying me on my quest to retrieve Saria and save Hyrule, as if I haven't already done both. We came to ask if you knew anything about either." The Deku Tree Sprout's smile turned into a frown. "Saria is missing? Who took her? I'll kill them!" he exclaimed. "Sir, calm down. We don't know who took her, or why they took her, or where they took her. That's why we came here." The Great Deku tree thought for a second. "I may be able to open up a telepathic link with her, but, at a large distance, it doesn't work so well," he said. "Anything!" Link exclaimed. "Very well," the Great Deku Tree stated. Two minutes later, the Great Deu Tree said "She's in a hole near the entrance to the Goron City. She said there were many fairies there, including hers, Mimi, and yours, Navi. I can only assume it is the Great Fairies Well. I wish you well on your journey, Link. And you, too, Dark Link." And off they went, as quickly as they came.

_"Where are we going?"_ Dark Link asked. _"Saria's near the entrance to the Goron City,"_ Link informed Dark. _"Really?!" _Dark Link exclaimed. Dark grabbed Link by the shoulder and spun him around, punching Link with his left hand as he began to face Dark. Link's cheek was split open and he fell to the ground. _"Have you learned NOTHING?!" _Dark shouted_. "Don't ask me stupid questions. We both know that the Great Fairy there can help us. And, also, don't punch me and expect NOTHING!" _Link shouted as he launched at Dark's legs. He grabbed onto Dark's knees and kicked off the ground, making Dark fall. He then punched Dark in his face and kneed him in his ribs. Dark kicked Link off of himself and arose, kicking Link in his side as he did so. Link tripped Dark and stood up, drawing his sword as he did so. Dark rolled backwards and drew his sword. _"Dark, I don't want to hurt you. I only ask that you apologize for hitting me. Do that and this won't happen." _said Link. Dark flourished and scowled. Link frowned.

Dark struck first and Link blocked. Link kicked out and Dark blocked it. Link tried to punch Dark, but he blocked it. Dark struck and Link blocked, and they became sword-crossed. They stayed in that position for five minutes, and, by then, felt that if a leaf were to touch them they would collapse. Link growled. _"Truce?" _Link asked, _"Just until we save Hyrule. Then we can settle this." _Dark nodded and they backed off of each other. _"For the record, I don't think either of us can beat the other,"_ Link said. And they ran off to the ground, both finding they didn't have the strength to move. _"I can't wait to put this day behind us," _said Link. _"Me, too," _said Dark. _"I'm sorry, man." _said Link. _"Me, too. Maybe we don't need to fight." _said Dark. _"We don't. We need to save Hyrule, together." _said Link. _"Today's been really strange," _said Dark Link. Link was already snoring. And, with that settled, they decided to sleep where they lied.

* * *

**I was wrong, Norkix. My Hylian is my own, but it will be based off of Latin. That's mainly because of the fact that I don't know many of the ends of Spanish, Japanese, or French words. So mine will be EngLatin. I'm trying to set up a friendship between Dark and Link, which seems illogical since they're both officially set up as enemies. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	5. A Tragic Turn of Events

Chap 5: A Tragic Turn of Events

**(A/N) Hello everyone! This is going to be purely Link and Dark Link, mainly because I couldn't think of anything for Saria. I feel like this is the trippiest chapter yet. I hope you all enjoy this creepy-ass chapter! **

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun!

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

Link and Dark Link arose eight hours later on a strange stone surface. Link was the first up, and first to notice it was pitch dark in their current area of operation. _"Psst! Dark! Wake up!"_ he had said. Dark moaned, not knowing the difference between the path and their pitch dark dungeon, considering the fact that his closed eyes are always black as dark matter_. "Where are we?"_ Dark asked when he had blinked a few times after opening his eyes to make sure they were open. _"I don't know, but we're on a stone floor. It's rough and jagged, be careful getting up,"_ Link said, remembering the cut he suffered an indeterminable **(spelled right, first try)** amount of time ago. A light shined above them, making both recoil and cover their eyes. "I flirt, I seduce, and I act sexy, and he rejects me. No one rejects me, hahahaha, nobody rejects me," the young female voice begins to make crying sounds. "_For the love of fucking Din! This girl again?!" _Dark shouted. "Mina! Let us out, right now!" Link yelled. "Oh, you're awake! Good! Now, you're probably wondering why you're here. You see…-"Link cut her off. "Dark rejected you. We all were there. You don't have to kidnap people just because they don't like you!" Mina held a lantern up, revealing her crazed face, unkempt hair, and a few fresh wounds on her arms. "Oh, you see, that's what I thought. Then this other girl said that I should help them right their wrongs. Right Anim?" Mina said to air. _Fuck, _Dark and Link thought.

Two days later, Link and Dark were sharing the leg of deer, gratuitously spiced, courtesy of Mina, thinking about what they'd do. Eventually, Link came to a sudden realization_. "I could've cast a light spell a long time ago," _he said, slightly embarrassed. _"Well, do it then. Cover your eyes." _Dark replied. _"Illuminas spheros," _Link whispered. A suddenly bright light appeared before him. "Ah, Din!" Link shouted. Once their eyes had adjusted to the light they began formulating an escape plan. They decided that one would pretend to be injured and, when Mina came to help, they'd jump her. _"One flaw. We have light, and Mina will be able to see that neither of us is injured." _Link "hmmed" and got an idea. _"Senslus daggeros,"_ Link whispered and a dagger appeared in his hand. Dark Link's eyes widened. _"Holy shit! What the fuck is that for?!" Dark screamed. _Link scoffed. _"Calm down. It's enchanted, you won't feel a thing. I swear," _Link said in an assuring ton_e. _It's interesting to note that, in Hylian, "senslus" means nothing. It is not a word, it is just gibberish. Dark Link nodded to indicate that he agreed to the unfortunate circumstances before him.

Five minutes later, Dark Link lay on the ground with a dagger in his kidney. _"Holy shit that hurts!" _Dark Link screamed. "MINA! WE NEED HELP!" Link screamed. Mina came through the door to find Dark Link lying on the ground, screaming, writhing around next to that green-clad bastard. "Link! What'd you do?!" Mina screamed while she threw down a rope. She began descending it, muttering to Anim as she did. When she was three feet off ground Link grabbed her feet and slammed her down. She screamed, of course, and Link kicked her in the side_. "Electrosiun stunus!"_ Link shouted. Mina's body went rigid and she lost consciousness. Link removed the dagger from Dark's back and whispered _"Shadus meus healos"._ Dark's wound closed and he cast his gaze towards Mina. His faces expression went from angry to empathetic. _"Don't feel sorry for her. She was weak."_ Dark cast a critical look towards Link. Link began to climb the rope and Dark needed no instruction to follow.

When Dark and Link entered Mina's living space they saw a chest. _"How will we open that? It's clearly where our stuff is," _Dark asked. Link walked up to it, breathed deeply, and kicked it with every ounce of strength he had. The chest broke and their stuff fell out. It wasn't difficult to tell whose things were whose. Seeing as how they were both half-naked, clothing was a primary. Secondary was weapons, tertiary was items, etc. In 20 minutes they had everything squared away. And that was that **(brought it back).**

As they walked out of Mina's tree stump a question came to Dark's mind. _"Mina's okay, right?"_ Link looked him right in the eyes and, sincerely, said _"Probably." _Dark's vision popped. _"What? Is she gonna die?" _Link smiled and winked, in a completely anime-styled fashion. _"No, of course not. She'll wake up in a few hours, disoriented, confused, and she'll see we're gone. She'll freak out and throw a colossal temper tantrum, at which point the Kokiri Mental Institution people come to assist. All clear?" _Dark nodded. _"Good. Now, let's go. We have a hole near Goron City to go to!" _ And so they walked. And walked. And walked. And walked. And they did so for roughly three hours, at which point they stopped to rest their legs and dip their feet in the Zora River. A particularly recognizable one popped her fishy head out of the water. "Ruto! You look pretty, as you occasionally do," Link said to the Zora-now-identified-as-Ruto. "Hey Link! Who's your friend?" she asked in a completely lightheaded way. Link picked up on this and smiled. "He only speaks Hylian, so you'd have to learn that and speak it fluently. Also, I don't know if Zora are his type." Ruto frowned, then smiled. _"How do you feel about dating Zora?" _she asked him. Link was more than a little surprised at this. _"I'm not against it. What's your name?" _Dark asked her. "Ruto," she said, names not being changed to accommodate the language change. _"Dark Link in full, but you should call me Dark." _

_"Dude! You got hit on by the princess of an entire nation, played it off so coolly, and made her stare at you as you walked away. What's your secret, and could you tell past me?" _Link said, obviously impressed by Dark's acting skills. _"Well, firstly, never show fear or shock. If you're bad at pretending that your heart's not jumping out of your chest, take an acting class. I'm just naturally good. Secondly, make sure to leave them wanting more so they actually go on the date. And thirdly, you have to be charismatic and single. Everyone knows you're shy and dating Saria, so when she saw me she immediately jumped to the second best thing. She wanted you, you were taken, got me instead." _Link frowned. _"How does this help me now?!" _Dark laughed and rested his hands on his head walking **(a la Naruto). **

* * *

Link and Dark had almost made it to Goron City by sundown. _"All right Dark, let's get searching!" _Link said. _"Oh, come on! The city's right there! Don't you want to rest a little?" _Dark retorted. Link shot him a look that said "If you don't look I'll kick your ass" and Dark got searching. _"Now, the Great Deku Tree said Saria was in a hole around here, so we have to look under rocks and grass," _Link stated. Dark's face went blank. _What did he just say? _he thought. _"Let me see if I have this right: we have to look under rocks and grass?" _Dark asked. _"Yes," _Link responded. Dark put on his best fake smile. _"Oh, 'cause that makes sense! Well, Link, let's look under EVERY rock in the entire area, I'm sure she's under one of the 20,000 here!" _Dark shouted. Link felt a little stupid, not even thinking about the sheer amount of rocks in their area. _"Good point. Know what gets it done faster? Not talking." _And with that Link got to work, setting bombs down anywhere large groups of rocks could be found. _"Doesn't make this idea any better," _Dark pointed out. _"I can't hear you, I'm working," _Link responded.

Around two hours later, when much sweat had been shed and many fingers smashed, Link found a hole in the ground, from which a harp could be heard. _"Hey Dark! Over here!" _Link shouted. Dark slowly arose from his crouched sleeping position to walk over to Link. _"What? And, if it's another bug, so help me Nayru…" _Dark said, trailing off at the sight of the hole with a smiling Link near it. _"Yeah?" _Link said. _"Yeah," _Dark said.

_"Now, are you sure I NEED to be the one who goes down here first?" _Dark shouted from his position deep within the hole. _"Absolutely positive!" _Link responded._ "Why did I get stuck doing this crazy crap?" _Dark said to himself. Dark was soon at the bottom of the hole, and what he saw was nothing short of shocking. _"LINK! COME HERE!" _he yelled. _"What is it? Is it Saria?!" _Link asked. _"Just come here you moron!" _Dark exclaimed. Link was at Dark's side in around three minutes. _"Who is that?" _Link asked. _"He asks as if he thought I'd know," _Dark narrated. Link scoffed, and then began to walk towards the sitting creature. From his distance one might assume it was a female and beautiful, but it was actually a hideously powerful demigod. "Miss?" Link asked her as he touched her shoulder. "Raaa!" she screamed as she held Link by his neck, off the ground, with one hand. Link closed an eye in pain and began kicking out to get loose. _"Link!" Dark shouted as he drew his sword. "Put him down you hag!" _Dark screamed. _"You expect me to put him down after you insult me like that? Try again." _Both Links were stunned. They barely expected her to be coherent, let alone fluent in a long-dead language. Link drew Ron the Swift's dagger and plunged it into her wrist, which made her scream. She dropped Link and brought her wrist to her mouth, where she began to suck all of the blood from her wound. Link began to sprint away, something Dark had done long ago, and the demigod threw the dagger into his right calf muscle. "Aghh!" Link shouted as he fell. The demigod arose and began to walk towards Link. "What do you want?" he asked. "I want this world and the next," she said. Her fingers elongated and she grabbed the dagger, twisting it once she had a good grip on it. "AAAHH, FUCK!" Link screamed. She removed the dagger, taking her sweet time in doing so. Link tried to crawl away, only to be met by the boot of Vaati, Wind Mage of the Minish. "Hello, again, dearest Link," Vaati hissed. He stomped on Link's chest. "Vaati, that's enough!" the unnamed demigod said. "Yes, Mistress Dimesia."

Unbeknownst to Vaati, Link, or Dimesia, these would be the last words the Wind Mage would ever utter. Dark Link, with his camouflage, snuck up on Vaati. With one lunge forward Darks sword went right through Vaati's diaphragm. Vaati stood, stunned, blood seeping from his mouth, gasping. Dimesia just looked onward at the soon-to-be cadaver. Link slowly tried to stand, falling as he discovered that the pain in his chest was too much. He passed out. Dark retracted the sword and kicked Vaati to the ground. He swung his sword lightly to get the blood off of it. _"Impressive. You snuck behind my lieutenant and killed him, and have yet to make a sound. Good job. Do you want a reward?" _she said. Dark Link wanted to nod even if it meant enabling the demigod. _"Mark my words: if you ever hurt Link again, I will kill you." _The demigod laughed and crossed her arms, fading from the Darks sight. _"Are you okay?" _Dark asked Link. _"I have been stomped on, stabbed, and smashed my thumbs. On top of that, my girlfriend isn't even here and we've no leads. How do you think I am?" _Link hissed. _"Come on, man. We have to go." _Dark said as he picked Link up and carried him out bridal style. When they were finally topside, Dark set up camp and fed Link some of the squirrel jerky they had made last time they camped. _"Rest, Link. Regain your strength. We search again in the morning." _And with that Link drifted off to the land of dreams, where he had a nightmare. Could his life get worse?

* * *

**_Mina?! What?! Really, Jack? Mina?_**** Totally. I had her pictured as a crazy fragile girl who, the second one rejection came, lost it. And Ruto? Anyone excited for that? Now, as for Link and Dark, what awaits them now that they know Saria's not near Goron City? I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it took so long, I was waiting for reviews and thought "You know what? I'm the author and I left the people who enjoyed dry. Why would I do that?" And thus this chapter was born. And, if anyone thinks my chapters are too short, and I'm not saying anyone does (someone once said that and now all of my chapters will be 2000+ words), I refer you to the Club of Chapters with Less Than 1000 Words. Does anyone think I should change this to a Link/Dark Link friendship fanfic? Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	6. A New Day

Chap 6: A New Day

**(A/N) Hello everyone! This is going to be the shortest chapter in the entire fic, I assure you. Like, seriously, a short chapter like this will NEVER happen again. I just needed to advance my story without overloading anything like I usually do. Non-I'm-Sorry related fun fact: someone favorite my other story, My Journey, Your Journey. OMFG! I'm excited. I hope you enjoy the chapter!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

It was a full day before Link awoke again. If you recall correctly he was seriously wounded the last time we saw him, but not wounded to such a severity that he should sleep for a day. It was a mixture of fatigue and lack of sleep. Anyway, he slept for a day, and was very stiff when he woke up, as well as hungry and thirsty. _"Oh, hey, Dark. Thanks for dragging me out of that hell-hole. I don't think I'd have survived if you didn't come in." _Dark looked over at Link, having been in a corner of Link's tent, creating an herb that could awaken him. _"Oh, thank Din," _he said as he tossed the bowl of ground-up herbs over his shoulder. _"I was afraid I'd have to use this maybe-poisonous concoction on you." _Link looked at his other side, where he noticed a notch in a wood block. He pointed at it, and Dark answered the question he thought Link was asking. _"That's a block I was using to mark the days you were asleep. One." _Link looked surprised when Dark said this. _"I was asleep for an entire day?" _he questioned. Dark nodded.

Just as Dark finished his nodding, Ruto came in running through the tent door **(?)** "Oh, thank Farore! Link! What the hell were you thinking?!" she yelled. "I was thinking that Saria was down that hole. I don't know how, but the Great Deku Tree managed to be wrong. Even worse, whatever was down there was not friendly. I guess you could say, Ruto, that I was thinking about my girlfriend's safety." Ruto immediately wore an apologetic expression. "Oh, Link, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Link nodded. "Yeah, and if not for Dark I'd be dead. You should thank him." With this Ruto turned toward Dark and hugged him. Dark didn't quite know how to respond, having never been shown affection like this, even from his twin. He was good at showing affection; bad at receiving. He awkwardly put his arms around Ruto. _"Thank you, Dark. Thank you for saving my friend." _Dark smiled. Ruto put a little space between them so she could do something she'd wanted to do for a while: she kissed him. Link smiled at the sight of one of his closest friends being happy. He stood up, groaning, slowly, putting as much of his weight on his left leg as he could, still smiling, and walked out of the tent. He was joined ten minutes later by Ruto and Dark.

"Okay, Ruto, I need you to go back to the Zora Domain. Tell your father that there is an evil force in Hyrule and that he needs to have soldiers everywhere. Can you do that for us?" Link asked. Ruto nodded and turned towards Dark. _"I have to go now. If you ever need me, just play this song on your ocarina," _she said before playing a beautiful, somber song on her own ocarina. Dark repeated it and made a mental note of it, which he titled "Ruto's Song". Ruto nodded and smiled before running off. Within three minutes the fish princess was completely out of sight, impressive considering it was a rather open area.

_"Okay, now what?" _Dark asked Link. _"I have very close to no idea. I have one, but it's pretty terrible." _Dark almost snapped when Link said this. _"ANYTHING!" _he said. _"All right then. We just wing it. Let's just go look anywhere and everywhere." _Dark Link sighed. _"Why not? I don't have any good ideas, so I guess this is our best one until a better one comes along," _he said. Link nodded and they began to walk (Link limped) to Hyrule Field.

Because of the fact that Link was limping, the trip took about an extra two hours than it should've, so they arrived around 5 P.M. They decided to set up camp near the Zora River, which now had soldiers patrolling it per Links instructions. When they finished, they ate a squirrel stew in silence and went to bed at 10 P.M. Link had a nightmare similar to the one he had the night Navi died, except Dark Link was in it and he was impaled by the Stalchild's bony finger. Dark had a peaceful dream involving Ruto until Link awoke screaming again, which prompted him to kick him.

When they awoke, at about 6 A.M., they only said "good morning" to each other. They both drank from the River Zora, both stretched (not near each other), both ate a little jerky, and both freaked out at the sight of all the massacred Zora fifty feet from their camp.

* * *

**So, Ruto's back, which is fun. I really like where I want Ruto's character to go. She's going to be a main character by the end of this. Also, the massacred Zora? What happened to them? I wonder if we'll ever know… Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	7. A Terrifying Night

Chap 7: A Terrifying Night

**(A/N) Hello everyone! You guys should check out my Slender fanfic "Let Me Go!" You guys might like it, but I'm not positive. Anyways, this takes place during the night, when Link and Dark Link were sleeping. If it's visceral, I did my job right. I chose to write this chapter from a first-person Dimesia point of view. Hope you enjoy!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

Why did I come here? Was it that they were here? Or was it that the dark one's girl was ahead? Maybe I just wanted to do some damage. I don't think it matters, why I came here. All that matters is what happens next. And, more importantly, what happens after that.

I began walking, taking my sweet time, playing my wounded girl routine. It worked, of course, and I played it as long as I could, using my naturally good acting skills. Oh, how foolish these mortals are. Within twenty minutes, I was in a warm tent, covered in a blanket, drinking alcohol of some sort to numb the pain from my "arrow wound", and being politely interrogated. "I don't know," I kindly replied when they asked me who attacked me. "Why is someone like yourself out here, alone, in the dead of night?" they asked, as if I was some sort of defenseless flower. "Just out for a nice stroll, I guess," I said, the faux-kindness quickly fading from me. _A little too quick, _I thought. "Ma'am, what is your name?" one asked, probably unknowing of the fact that it was his last question. My eyes flashed red briefly before returning to their deceiving crystal blue color.

"Dimesia," I whispered. All of their eyes simultaneously widened. Apparently, I'm something of a well-kept secret to these people, and that green kid unleashed me. They all had their spears and swords pointed towards me, some so close that I could feel the cold coming off of them. I smiled a little, knowing full well what I was about to do, enjoying every second of it.

I looked around, taking in the situation. I had about ten people to kill here, twenty people to kill outside, and twenty more sleepers to kill. I'm going to enjoy this.

I grab the closest spear to me and yank hard, making the holder stumble and let go. I turn it and stab it through his neck. I kick the closest swordsman to me in the chest as hard as I possibly can, and smile when I stop hearing his heartbeat, and drop to sweep kick the nearest two soldiers. I then conjure two knives and plunge them deep into the chests of the two soldiers. _Four. _I remove one and stab another soldier in the back of his (her?) knee, bringing it down. I then proceed to pick it up with one hand while throwing the knife into the eye of an advancing soldier, an action that clearly shakes the nearby soldiers. I snap the neck of the one in my hand and throw the corpse at the shocked (and probably panicking) soldiers. Only two are caught by it, and an unlucky duo they are.

Before I threw the corpse, I placed needles inside of it, all over the place, set to erupt from its skin whenever it struck something. The two Zora were caught in the upper torso and face area of their body, which is probably the worst place to get hit by a spiky corpse. Anyway, the other four were still an oncoming problem, to be dealt with swiftly and brutally. I conjure a broadsword now, hoping to do this quickly. I teleport in front of them and swing sideways, taking off the heads of the closest three soldiers. The remaining soldier dropped his weapon (I could only tell its gender from its voice) and began to back away, tripping over the corpse of one of his friends, sputtering, wishing he was home. I was happy to make that wish evaporate before his very eyes. I elongated my fingers again and forced them down his neck into his belly, putting in a special poison I've been making for years.

The first thing to strike him was probably the immeasurable pain of having someone's fingers in your stomach. The second thing was probably the hallucinations, which was my favorite part. Watching him go crazy and nearly claw all of his skin off was terrific. The third thing was the convulsing, the delightful convulsing, and the contorting to scratch the terrible itches all over his body. The last thing was death, slow and painful. I love doing that; it is my favorite part of what I do. I've had too long to perfect it though. Roughly 5,000 years.

I walked out to the guards who were shocked to see me covered in the blue blood of their friends. Gasps and mutters were emitted before one of them shouted "It's Dimesia!" How he put it together so quickly astounds me, but I don't object to it. "One and the same," I say, putting my hands up in a submissive fashion. They close in on me, which is their first mistake. It's also their last mistake. I shoot my fingers into the ground and push them through the heels of every soldier within a 20 foot radius. The poison I've had years to create and merge symbiotically with my blood flows into them, and they all begin to act like the one from inside the tent. The next thirteen advanced to slash and stab me at once, so I merely teleported out of the way before they could. They still slashed, a few of them, and some killed their friends. I threw a spike bomb in the middle of the group, which took care of seven of them. I picked up a spear from one of the corpses and threw it at a soldier, and it went straight through and into a friend of his.

By now the last four were scared shitless. They couldn't believe what had just happened, so they chose to run. The river was their destination. Too bad someone turned it to lava just as they jumped in. Only briefly, though. I can't have lava rivers on my planet. The screaming woke up a few of the sleepers, because they walked from the tent to see me slaughtering all of their friends. They ran off and I split the earth under them, happy with my choice of where to split: just above a cave full of stalagmites. I'm so happy to already be wreaking havoc in this world!

* * *

The sleepers were way too easy. All I had to do was systematically kill the sixteen remaining Zora, some by stabbing in the head, neck, or chest, some by disemboweling, some by lethal injection. That was the easy part. The difficult part was setting their corpses up in the most cryptic and terrifying way for the hero I've been hearing about lately, what was his name? Link! He's notoriously in love with some girl named Saria, so I set the corpses up so that, from a birds-eye view they said "Saria". I did that just fifty feet north of his camp.

Boy is he going to be scared when he wakes up.

* * *

**If you didn't already hate Dimesia, you should now. She is a truly terrible demigod, and anyone who sees her is incredibly unlucky. That happened to be, unfortunately, everyone who was guarding the Zora River. Also, this is unrelated to my story in any way, shape, or form, have any of you heard of Miracle of Sound? If not, go visit his youtube page user/miracleofsound Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	8. Links Awakening

Chap 8: Links Awakening

**(A/N) Hello everyone! It came to my attention, while reading chapter 7, that I was slightly inconsistent. I said there were ten in the tent where Dimesia was initially held, then said there were twelve. I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. I also stated that Link and Dark Link were in the Zora camp. They are in fact 200 meters south. Hope you enjoy!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

"What the fuck?!" Link screamed when he saw the huge amount of dead Zora soldiers. Dark didn't understand what Link said, but he came running when he heard the scream. He stopped dead in his tracks when he came upon the sight of the massacred Zora. Some were dismembered, some were decapitated, some were cut, and some were twisted in strange ways. It sickened both of them greatly. Dark held his stomach while Link released the contents of his stomach. _"Who did this?" _Dark asked with a light tone, feeling as though simply raising his voice might make him puke. _"Who do you think?" _Link responded. "Oh Gods…" Link said. He began walking forward while Dark looked on confusedly. Link began to walk on the perimeter of the bodies. He began to shake his head as he reached the formation that looked like an "I". After a bit more tracing he began vigorously shaking his head while muttering "no." "No, no, no, no, No, No, NO, NO!" he screamed.

_"What?" _Dark asked. Link dropped to his knees and began to sob deeply. Dark crouched down beside him and asked what bothered him so much. _"It says 'Saria'," _he said. The two then heard a high-pitched laughter from nearby. They both instinctively rose and drew their weapons to find Dimesia standing not twenty feet away. "Hello Link, _Dark,_" she said while nodding to both. Link rushed towards her, but stopped dead in his tracks when Dimesia conjured Saria from the Netherworld she had been placed in. "Saria!" Link exclaimed. Saria's ears perked up and she lifted her head slightly to see Link. "Link!" she shouted. Link sprinted forward but again stopped when he noticed that Dimesia was hurting Saria. "Don't hurt her!" he shouted. Link was seething with rage, unbelievably angry at Dimesia, and with fear for what Dimesia'd do with Saria.

Dimesia dropped Saria who, after days of not eating, didn't have the strength to stand. She just struggled to her knees. Link dropped his sword and shield and rushed to Saria's aid. He helped her up and began to walk away when he felt a searing pain in his right shoulder. He yelled and looked right to see what was causing the pain, and his eyes widened when he saw that he was assisting a Re-Dead. He punched it in the stomach and kicked it away, producing two feminine groans of pain. _"Dark! Help!" _he shouted. He looked to where Dark should've been but instead found a fast approaching huge Stalchild. He began backing away and tripped on a spare corpse. He then began to crawl away while gradually rising to a sprint. The Stalchild was chasing Link ruthlessly, and bit the Re-Dead in half just because it could.

By now Link had already run the distance of a football field, and the Stalchild was hot on his trail. "No! Get away!" he screamed at it. He turned to see how far away it was and tripped on a log for not paying attention. The Stalchild quickly closed in and picked Link up in his hand. "No! Din, Nayru, Farore, please help!" he screamed. But no help came. The Stalchild shoved Link into his mouth and ate him slowly, making sure Link suffered.

* * *

_"What's wrong with him?" _Ruto asked Dark as the two watched Link having an amazingly terrible dream. _"I don't know. He's been sweating profusely for a long time, and he started thrashing and doing all this other shit. I have no clue what's going on in his head, but it's really fucking with him." _Ruto frowned and began to walk away with tears stinging her eyes. She suddenly felt a hand grab her arm. She turned to see Dark, smiling for the first time since she'd first met him. _"He's gonna be okay. I swear," _he said. _"You swear too much," _she replied. They both chuckled and Ruto felt some of the weight Links injuries had placed on her shoulders disappear.

The two spent some time like this before Dark suddenly reacted on pure impulse. He pulled her closer, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her. She was surprised at his sudden actions, but did not object. The stayed like this for the next seven seconds. When they finally, slowly, pulled apart, both felt immeasurably better than they had a few minutes ago. _"I have to go put ice on him. I'll be right back," _Dark said as he turned away. He did just that, and was back forty seconds later. The two sat on the walls of their tent, holding each other in their arms, enjoying each other's company.

They slept there, so deep in each other's embrace that neither woke when the storm began, nor noticed the dark, wet figure slink in through the slightly open flap that served as a door. It looked towards the two lovers and smiled, not a sweet smile, but an insane smile, one that showed two razor sharp fangs. Its eyes twinkled brilliantly with insanity. It shook its head, still smiling, at the two "guards". It walked over to Link, who had recently regained consciousness but not speech or movement. It picked him up and walked back out the 'door'. In the moonlight one could very clearly see that the creature was in fact Dimesia **(shocker)**. Where she was hauling Link off to, nobody knew. Why it was after Link, nobody knew. When she would kill him, nobody knew. Simply put, nobody knew anything about this evil demigod.

* * *

When Dark woke first, because he always wakes up first, he felt a strange lack of presence in the tent. He cast his eyes at the spot where Link should've been and saw that he was missing. He gasped and stood up quickly and violently, throwing Ruto off him in the process. _"Link?! Link?! Where are you Link?!"_ he shouted outside. _"What happened?" _Ruto asked. _"Link's missing!" _Dark shouted. The storm had since stopped, but the wet ground had yet to dry. Dark noticed this and brought it up to Ruto. _"We have to follow the trail," _he said. _"It probably leads to some sort of terrible dungeon. If you go, I'm not."_ Dark was noticeably annoyed by this. _"Fine then! Stay, go back to the Zora Domain, or go jump into the canyon! I don't fuckin' care! I'm leaving to get him, regardless of whatever shitty decisions you make!" _Ruto was visibly hurt by this and stormed past Dark, scowling. Dark crouched and sighed deeply. He stood up and began to follow the trail of footprints, thankful that they seemed to follow a fairly linear path. They led him down the mountain **(the events of the Zora camp and the events following that before the DarkxRuto section were a dream)**, through Hyrule Field to a hole in the ground.

Nothing could prepare him for the sight he would see when he finally hit the ground.

* * *

**Holy crap! What happened to Link?! Where is he, what will happen to him?! Is he even still alive? What did Dark see? . Stay tuned to find out. ****If you guys have theories as to what happened, PM me about it. I posted this a bit early because I wanted to see what you guys thought of where it was going, and where it's been. ****The root of Dimesia is "Dim" which is close to the "Dem" in Dementia. Just a fun fact. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	9. The Lurking Horror

Chap 9: The Lurking Horror

**(A/N) Hello everyone! It's been far too long, I think. What has it been, two, three weeks? I know some of you aren't reviewing. I have nothing against you guys who don't review. If I did, I'd be a hypocrite of the highest order. But I ask that you do anyway. I honestly don't know if some of you guys want me to continue. So, please, take some time to review. Anyway, here's chapter nine. It's a first-person chapter from Dark Links POV. Hope you enjoy!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda.**

* * *

Before my eyes was a single door. This door, an otherwise unremarkable door, had one key feature: a lock **(bad pun)**. I got to searching immediately, looking for anything gold or silver. Every now and again I picked up a rock that was the same color as the key I was looking for, which I would toss over my shoulder. Why would I need a worthless rock?

When looking for a key proved a worthless endeavor, I stood up. I made my way to the door, stopped when I was about a meter from it, took a deep breath, and kicked it with all my might. I was blown back, not being ready for the force the door would put on me. My foot felt like it had a few broken areas, which didn't surprise me at all. The door, unfortunately, didn't budge even a little. _"Fuck!"_ I screamed. I stood up unsteadily, not sure if I was even able to walk. I gasped sharply when I set my left foot (the door-kicker) down, annoyed by the thought that I couldn't walk on it. _"Goddess-dammit," _I said to myself.

_Okay, there's no key, and the door can't be broken down. What haven't I tried? _My eyes go wide at the realization of the stupidest answer I could give for my question: turn the knob. I limp to the door, shaking my head along the way. I grab the knob and, with a deep sigh, turn it. The door opens up without resistance, as if the lock was nothing.

* * *

I step through to another room; this one has a deep pool at one side with a vortex, a door on a platform near the pool and a hole leading to nowhere above the platform. I'm still shocked at the fact that the door was just an illusion, more or less. _"I can't fucking believe that happened," _I say, vocalizing my disbelief to nobody.

To my immediate right was a chest, elegantly designed. I knew from my time watching Link that there was some sort of dungeon treasure inside, so I opened it up immediately. To my shock and annoyance there was just a stone slab that said in Hylian "The only answer is the least pleasant (and sometimes most annoying) one." I sighed and sat down, my back against the wall. _What the hell does that mean? _I thought. _"Fuck! Where are you, Link?!" _I yell.

I stand up, having figured out the meaning of the slab, tossing it into the vortex as I do so. I wait a moment to see if I was right, believing what I believe. To my delight, it falls from the hole near the door, forty seconds later. I take quick, shallow breaths before one deep breath and jump into the pool.

The water is ice-cold, the vortex is nauseating, and the portal is deep underwater. I hold my eyes shut and my mouth closed, making sure not to let any air out. I go limp to retain air, hating the feeling of being tossed around like a ragdoll. Eventually, I could see the ground on the other side of the pool. I try to twist my body around so I don't fall on my head, but fail mostly. I drop out and land on my back, crying out as a piece of the slab lodges itself in my ribs. _"Goddess dammit!" _I shout. I lay there, not willing to get up again, for about fifteen minutes.

Slowly, I try to stand up, only getting to my knees. I can barely breathe, the pain from the stone in my ribs making my whole body ache. I reach into a satchel on my waist, giving a dry laugh when I pull out a small leather belt. I fold it until it can fit in my mouth, then think about what I'm about to do. _"Fuck it. I don't really have a choice." _I put the belt in my mouth and grab the small part of the stone sticking out of my ribs. I count to three mentally, and yank it out. I can't hold the belt in my wide-open mouth, and it falls to the ground, slapping against the damp floor. I take deep, ragged breaths, the pain in my side eventually subsiding.

* * *

I stand up the rest of the way and begin limping to the door. _You'd better be here, somewhere, Link._ I open it and see a pitch dark room. "_Pfft. Illuminatos spheros," _I whisper. A ball of light as bright as the sun, appears in my hand. I take one step through the door and it slams shut behind me, and the immense darkness of the room smothers the light. I gasp, shocked at the sudden aggressiveness of the dark. _What did that? Where is it? What does it want? _All these thoughts and more race through my head as I momentarily let my guard down, feeling that there is nothing near me. I take five more steps, plunging myself further into the darkness. That was a huge mistake.

A serpentine figure of some sort slithers up my legs, and my torso, and my arms, and around my neck. It constricts, crushing me and asphyxiating me. I try to let out a curse word, but the lack of oxygen in my body doesn't allow me to. I begin reaching my arm down to my satchel, smiling when my fingers touch it. I open it and begin digging around in it quickly, silently praying that I'll find what I'm looking for. My finger runs into the tip of the blade, but I don't care. I grab it by the blade and turn it around, openly smiling when I hold Ron the Swift's dagger by the hilt. I'm nearly unconscious from lack of oxygen when I ram the blade into the serpent's body. It screams in agony as it quickly uncoils, allowing me the best breath of oxygen I've ever had. It also brings on a horrendous coughing and gasping fit.

When my gasping and coughing fit is finally over, I stand up and cast the same light spell. Nothing stops me this time. I limp to the door on the far end of the room, but I never make it. If I had Link's Lens of Truth, I would've seen the massive hole in the ground covered up by a rather impressive illusion. I would've jumped over it, and continued. But I didn't have it. And I fell right through.

I landed about thirty feet down, in a stone cell. I landed on my left foot, breaking it completely and snapping my shin. _"SON OF A BITCH!" _I scream. I collapse on my right side, writhing in agonizing pain, not knowing how to deal with the pain, not knowing how to properly fix my leg, and certainly not knowing why I could hear laughter just ahead of me. Eventually, I decide I'm done complaining about my leg, though it is still in excruciating pain.

I stand, putting all of my weight on my right side. In front of me is the Queen of Dementia: Dimesia. _"Hello, dark clone of Link," _she says. I growl, knowing that she was the reason my leg was completely fucked up. _"Not very friendly are you?"_

_"What do you want?" _I ask, not in any mood to be talking to this crazy fucking bitch.

_"You might want to choose your thoughts more carefully, Dark Link," _she says. My eyes open wide. _She can read my mind?_ I think. _"Like a book opened to my favorite page."_

_"You can probably tell that I fucked my leg up pretty bad out there, can't you?" _I ask.

_"Oh, yes. I'm terribly sorry about that. I would think you'd have seen those coming, being a copy of Link and all, but I guess not. I mean, really? You didn't even see the hole in the fucking ground? How stupid are you, Dark? How fucking stupid are you?!"_

I begin limping away; pressing my back against the wall I didn't realize was a mere meter behind me. I turn my head briefly to see if I did in fact back against a wall, and when I turn back she was gone. I sigh in short-lived relief. _"Dark…" _she whispers. I jump away like a startled rabbit. _"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" _she asks. I am visibly scared, and I know she feeds off of fear and pain, but I don't care. It's too much to contain. I begin to break down, crying, thinking of all the people I'll never see again. Link, he'd be fine. Light clones don't need their Dark clones, unlike Dark clones. Ruto, she'd never know. It's good that she never would, too. Saria, I barely knew her. She probably didn't even remember me after the first time we met.

I wait for the slow, painful, agonizing, death. I wait for the quick, painless, instantaneous death. Neither arrives. I dry my eyes and look up, finding the Queen of Dementia sitting on my bed, smiling. I'm still gasping and whimpering, while silently thanking the Trinity that she didn't kill me. _"The Three had nothing to do with you living. I honestly don't see why Hylians worship them, and I especially don't see why any full-fledged Dark being would ever worship them. You want to hear the truth? They don't even exist."_

Having said that soul-shattering wisdom, she stands up, probably feeling accomplished. Happy. _Complete_. _"Enjoy your stay! I worked my ass off to make sure the experience here is as horrible as possible. Oh, and Link? He's not here. I let him go a long time ago. He's probably back at your camp near Goron City."_ My spirit is now completely broken. I fall to my side, barely breathing, and she teleports somewhere else in the prison. _"FUCK! FUCK, FUCK, FUCK!" _I scream. _"I'm going to kill you Link! I'm going to kill you!"_

* * *

**Dark broke his leg badly, was imprisoned by Dimesia, and found out that Link was never there? Darks life must REALLY suck right now. Goddamn, I don't even know where this is going sometimes. Seriously, this is one of those moments where I just have no fucking idea where I'm taking this and how I'll get there. A little info on my writing process: I make up my ending and beginning first, then write until I've finished the story. It's an easy way to write, I guess. Hey, do you guys think I should make this a Link and Dark Link story? Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	10. Crossroads

Chap 10: Crossroads

**(A/N) Hello everyone! Welcome back! Ready for another chapter of your favorite fanfic? I hope so! It's another first-person chapter, and it stars Link. He's back. Enjoy the chap!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

I'm so horribly alone. Dark isn't with me, willing to lay down his life just to protect me, Saria is missing and, painful as it is to admit, probably dead. Navi died a long time ago. And that demigoddess kept me in that horrible cell for so long. Was it a long time? Was it merely a day? Or was it a million-billion years? Who knows? Not me. All I know is that I'm almost back at the camp near Goron City.

"Link!" a distant voice shouts. I turn around, not fully prepared for what I'm about to see.

"Saria?!" I shout. She nods and we begin to sprint at each other. We connect a few seconds later, neither happier than the other. "Saria! I'm so glad you're okay. I-I-I thought you were…" I can't hold it in. I begin unleashing a tear-storm of epic proportions on Saria's shoulder.

"It's okay, Link," she says while I look up at her, "I felt the same way. But I never once thought you were dead. You're a hero, Link. You're my hero." I find I'm losing myself in her stare, her beautiful blue eyes piercing into my soul, seeing the things I allow her to see. I see into hers, as well. She's been through a lot since we were separated. "Come, Link. Let's go home."

"D-Dark is still waiting back at c-camp. I have to go get him." She gives me a dirty look, like what I said was so ridiculously crazy and stupid that she couldn't even fathom the words being thought up in my mind.

"Dark Link? Your Dark clone? You want to go back for your Dark clone, someone who is the avatar of your dark side? And you left him alone up there? How do you-"

"I don't give a fuck how he reacts! I don't care what he does, I'm not leaving him!" I scream, curious as to how I got so angry so quickly. Saria's eyes begin to tear up and she turns and begins to walk away. "Saria…"

"Why don't you just go back to your boyfriend up there, huh?! Since he's clearly more important to you than me!" she says. I take a step back, surprised at her sudden outburst. Saria isn't known for getting angry. Frustrated, yes. Mad, yes. But not angry.

"Saria, I'm sorry, okay? I got mad and I shouldn't have. Listen, he's been with me the entire time we've been searching for you. Leaving him would be like leaving half of me behind. I need him to be the man I am. So, please? Please let me go get him?"

"Fine, Link. But I'm coming with you. I want to talk to you while we walk."

"Okay, I guess. Just don't get hurt on the way there, please. Dark used what was left of our medical supplies keeping me alive when I was hurt." She nodded when I said this, and that should've seemed a bit strange to me. She usually asked questions when I came home with a few new scars, always fascinated by the stories I had to tell for them. But I was glad to have her back, so I didn't question it.

We began walking up the mountain to the hole near Goron City. For about five minutes we remained silent. Then Saria began complaining about how long we'd been walking and how her legs hurt, so I began to carry her. She seemed lighter than usual, but I chalked it up to malnutrition. Saria decided to begin a conversation, knowing full-well that I had no conversation material for her. She just wanted to talk about her experience, and I was left nodding, saying "Yeah, I know," and doing generally kind things while not paying any attention to her words.

"Link, are you even listening?" Saria asks.

"Of course I am, Saria. I am completely focused on what you're saying."

"Good! Now, where was I? Oh yes! I began walking back home…" she says. I space out, still utterly uninterested in what she's saying.

* * *

About twenty minutes later we were less than a mile from camp. "Look, Saria! If you look real hard, you can actually see our camp!" I say, unknowingly interrupting her sentence. She stops speaking (thankfully) and turns to look for our camp.

"I can't see it, Link. Where is it?" she asks.

"Just keep looking. You'll see it, trust me." I say, knowing for a fact that she won't see it. I couldn't even see it and I'm the one with the sharp eyes. I just wanted her to shut up.

"Oh, I see it! I see it!" she yells. I furrow my brow, half annoyed and half astonished. How did she see it when I couldn't?

"Okay, I think I've been carrying you for long enough," I say, my arms beginning to feel fatigued.

"Oh, fine," she says, clearly disgruntled by the apparently laborious action of walking. I set her down gently as I could, though I couldn't help but feel like I wanted to throw her down. The fact that I feel so violent towards the one that I love sickens me. I push the thought from my head and wrap her hand in mine. She yanks it out, a look of disgust gracing her face. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I was holding your hand. You're my girlfriend, I hold your hand. It shows intimacy."

"Yeah, well not now. I don't want your disgusting hands touching me." I don't reply. I'm just glad she's back.

We're nearly at the camp by now. I'm very happy to see Dark again, even if he is just a manifestation of my bad side. The fact that I'm happy to see my bad side gives me chills, but I don't care. I' going to see him again, and I'll be whole.

I open the flap to the tent that served as a door to find an empty tent. There's the cushion I was sleeping on, the pillow and sheets that complimented it, and a single note. I look at Saria, a worried look gracing our faces, and turn back to read the note. I pick it up, surprised that it's written in Hylian. "Hylian," I relay to Saria, showing her the note. I begin reading it.

* * *

**_Hey, Link. I bet you're surprised and a little annoyed to find out that Dark Link is not there. Well, don't worry about him right now. You'll only have to worry about him if you make a certain choice. You see, I captured Dark Link about twelve hours ago. He currently has a badly broken leg and an incredible hatred towards you. I'd be careful if I was actually worried that he could hurt me._**

**_Now, as for your dear girlfriend Saria, she's in a dungeon in the Gerudo Canyon. She should be safe; it's been about four days since I last saw her. She has enough food to survive for three weeks, and she can collect whatever rainwater comes her way. Did you know it's rainy season there? Anyway, I left a plethora of demons and monsters near her, just to make it difficult if you make a certain choice._**

**_Now, here's the deal: You can only save one of them. It's either Dark Link, your bad side, or Saria, your dear girlfriend. Whichever one you don't rescue will be executed in front of you and the one you chose. On the other side of this note is a map leading to both prisons. Have fun choosing!_**

**_xoxo Dimesia_**

* * *

I turn around, thinking that I'd ask Saria about what she thought of the note, but she wasn't there. I realize it quickly now. The things I don't like about her being so apparent, how I wanted to hurt her, how I wanted to leave immediately when I saw her. It all makes sense now. She isn't there.

She was never there.

* * *

**Dark's at the prison, and Saria's at the Gerudo Canyon. Damn, Link. Seems to me like he has a huge choice to make. The one he doesn't save will die, and we don't even know if the one he goes after is alive. I say "we" because it is a "we" situation. I don't know what I'm going to write next; I really never do. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	11. The Decision

Chap 11: The Decision

**(A/N) Hello everyone! Last chapter left Link in quite the moral quandary. He could save Dark, the more powerful ally with Link on his hit list, or Saria, his girlfriend for years and the only one he's ever opened up to. Which one does he choose? This chapter features all three characters at once. All sections will be from their point of view. For the record, Dimesia only knows one way to create cells, so Saria's and Dark's are virtually identical.**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

**Link**

I sit on the ground, dumbstruck, shocked, angered, sad, and everything in between. I stand strong, refusing to let myself break now. If I was going to break, I would've done it by now. The way I see it, it's either Dark or Saria. That part I understood. But I don't get why Dimesia would execute the one I didn't save in front of me. Why? "WHY?!" I scream so loud Mina could hear me from her cell. Suddenly the anger I've held for so long, bottled up every time I was summoned by the Goddesses, every time Dark berated me, every time Saria made fun of me or something I did, every time Mina shot me down, every time Mido beat me, every time I was nearly blown to pieces, or crushed by some boulder rolling precariously down a mountain. Every. Single. Time. I rip my sword out and begin to run straight to Lake Hylia. All of the adrenaline in my veins stops me from feeling even the slightest notion of fatigue.

That lasts for about an hour. I'm nearly at Lake Hylia by the time I finally stop moving and collapse, out of breath. I'm very close to passing out, but my desire to save one of my friends (as I've yet to decide who I'll save) keeps me conscious.

* * *

_"Link, a great evil will soon swallow up the land of Hyrule. The name of this evil is Dimesia, demigoddess of insanity, daughter of the Void Master and a Hylian whore. You may ask why it is that I, Kaepora Gaebora, appear to you now. She will be at this very spot very soon. If you don't gear up now and begin fighting, she will kill everyone, even Saria. With Zelda gone, you're the only one who could possibly help. I implore you assist the land of Hyrule soon. Would you like to hear that again?"_

_"No, for the love of Farore, no."_

* * *

I sat right up when I realized what he was talking about. My eyes were wide; I couldn't believe that I, Link, the Hero of Time according to the Trinity, was stupid enough to miss something so massively important. "Dammit!" I shout. I jump to my feet and sprint the final mile between me and Lake Hylia.

I'm there in about seven minutes. It's now 2:34 PM, mid-autumn. The cold has begun taking its toll everywhere except Death Mountain. The crops the Scarecrow Man used to protect have wilted and died. The ice has dropped to bone chilling temperatures. The scientist who lived in the house on the hill has died, though some youths in Hyrule Castle Town say that his ghost haunts the house still. The air reeks of death. I make my way to the lake, not stopping for any tektites, any grass, any guays. Nothing. I dive into the water, merely brushing off the freezing water. I throw my Zora Tunic over myself, though it doesn't do as much as it would've were I to actually put it on. I put the iron boots on as well, happy to sink to the lake bed below me.

I walk forward for a few minutes once I touch down. I look for the spot where I buried the chest, my treasure, my ace in the hole. A cocky smile graces my face once I see it. I crouch down and begin to dig. I'm glad to see the intricately designed chest. I open it with perhaps a bit too much force, and half of the lid breaks off. I frown when I see what lies inside. I hoped I'd never have to use this again, but I have no choice. She's far too powerful, and I'll need this to fight my way to the one I choose. I take the cursed mask in my hand and remove the iron boots. I don't care that I leave them at the bottom of the lake. I don't expect to survive this. Once I breach, I swim to the beach and sit a while, pondering the decision I must now make. Love? Or the safety of Hyrule? Even if we save Hyrule, we could still fail. And, with nobody to wield the blade that can strike down Dimesia, Hyrule will surely fall. Either way, Hyrule will probably die. Do I save the beautiful, sacred land of Hyrule? Or do I forsake it for a few more moments with my love? I know I must choose, but I find it more and more difficult with each passing second. Finally, twenty minutes later, I stand up. I know what I'll do. I just hope it works.

* * *

**Dark Link**

I sit on my cell bed, gently massaging my broken leg. I gasp in pain as I touch a sensitive spot of the break. _"Dammit," _I whisper. She's right and I know it. I should've been more wary. I shouldn't have been careless. And I certainly should've seen that hole in the ground coming from the second I basically gutted that snake. I haven't stopped thinking about him. His blonde hair, his piercing blue eyes, his sword, the way people actually would care if he died. Since I realized my intense hatred for Link, I also began realizing I desire his life more than anything. I want to be him, but I know I could never be Link. He is Link, and I am Dark Link, the physical manifestation of his dark side, a monster in the eyes of people who fail to realize that I have emotions. No one seems to realize that I have emotions. No one seems to notice _ME._

In truth, someone does notice me: Ruto. She's the only one who has noticed me in the past few years. She's certainly the only one who cares about my opinion. If I were to die, she would be one of two people to know it, the other would be Link. When Dark clones die, their Light counterpart takes on the Dark clones emotions. Whereas Link is usually nice and kind-hearted, I'm cold and bitter. He'd become cold and bitter. In a way, the best revenge on him for being who he is.

_I can't believe this happened to me! I'm the analytical, cold, observing part of Link! That goddamn hole should've been obvious to me long before I entered the room! He should be here! He should be the one in this fucking cell! _I punch my wall, my adrenaline keeping me from feeling the pain shooting from my shin to my brain at light speed. A piece of the wall breaks off, some turns to powder, and a fist sized indention can now be seen in the wall, assuming it's still standing. _"LIIINK!" _I scream with the hopes that he can hear me from wherever he is.

I hope he's alright.

* * *

**Saria**

I stand up from my cell bed, my long, green hair falling off my shoulder gracelessly. It makes sense; it's been about a week since I last washed it. It's been nearly that long since I last saw Link. I don't know if he's still alive. Believe me, I know he's tough. I know he's strong enough to survive whatever she throws at him. I just don't know if he's got enough self-control to save himself. If he died trying to save me, I'd never forgive myself. I'm in a canyon, so I could just jump off a cliff.

Oh, who am I kidding? Link would never approve of that.

* * *

_"Life is a gift. To take it away is to buy someone's life for free, and to take your own is to sell it for nothing. If you live life like you understand that it is finite, you'll live a happy life. If you actively seek immortality, you'll die unhappy. I don't want you to die unhappy," he once said. He then took my hand in his. I smiled and looked at him, and I knew what I wanted to wish for _**(This is just after his Termina adventure, mind you. Saria has yet to become mortal)**_. I put my hand on his left hand and said: _

_"Goddesses, I wish to spend my days with Link. I wish to shed my immortality to live a happy life with the one I love." Link looked at me with surprise in his eyes. He certainly looked pleased with what I said. We were both then enveloped within a bright, pure white light and when it dissipated, I lost the slight green tint my skin had up until now_**(Now she's mortal)**_._

_"Saria, do you love me?" he asked. I felt the blood rush to my cheeks, producing a childish chuckle from him._

_"Link, though I appear young, I am over 200 years old. I understand well the concept of love. I do, sincerely, love you." I couldn't have guessed the next thing Link would do. He pulled me to him, bent down slightly, and kissed me. It was the best time of my life._

* * *

I miss the fairy fountain. I don't know how she found me, why she was after me, or why she did what she did, and I don't think I ever will. I don't understand why the Goddesses refuse to speak to me. I don't understand an awful lot about this whole situation. I wish Link would come help me.

I hope he's alright.

* * *

**Link**

I run through the traps, for my Lens of Truth reveals all. The (un)locked door, the whirlpool room, the snake. Oddly enough, the snake appeared to have a large, long stab wound along it's stomach. I wonder what did that, though I believe I know the answer. I jump over the hole in the ground and sprint to the door. Once inside, my Lens of Truth stops working. "Dammit!" I exclaim. I throw it away; I don't expect to need it.

_"Link, use me. We can defeat her, I'm sure of it!" _the Fierce Deity says.

_"Let me make this perfectly clear: you are my last resort, my fallback option. If I feel like I am about to die, I'll put you on. Until then, you stay where you belong. Clear?"_

_"Clear. I'm only going to be cooperative for so long, though, Link."_

I begin scanning the room: it appears to have a spiral staircase going up and down. I decide to go up first. After about five minutes of walking up I arrive at a room that's exactly like the one I entered in. "What the hell?" I ask no one. I continue ascending the stairs. "What the hell?!" I shout when I enter a room exactly like the last two. By now my face is crimson red with frustration. I go up once more, thinking "Maybe this'll be different." Nope. "Gods fucking dammit!" I scream. After a few minutes of deep breathing and relaxation I decide to go downstairs. To my shock and anger the room is actually different. There are blood markings on the walls and ceiling and I have an overwhelming feeling of being watched.

I decide to begin moving once I'm used to the unnerving sensation. I take a few steps and freeze to look down. _Shadow, increasing in size._ "Shit!" I shout as I dive to the ground, with the wallmaster landing directly behind me. I jump to my feet and pull out the Gilded Sword. I slice at it and it separates, prompting me to seek and destroy all of its parts. Once that was done, I put my sword back in its sheath and continued down the hall. Eventually a door presented itself by materializing right in front of me before I ran head-first into it. "Gah!" I shouted at the sight of it. I backed up and extended my arm to see if it was really there, or if it was another trick. It was there.

Through the door was a long hall of cells. One one side of the hall were creatures I had never imagined, and certainly never thought I'd see. Sometimes you see things you don't imagine. This wasn't one of those times. This was one of the times when creatures of nightmares were brought into the physical world. This was a time when your fears were used against you.

This was a time of terror.

I kept walking, looking left and right every few seconds so I could find the one I was looking for, the one who was with me through it all, thick and thin, trouble and triumph, worry and elation. Eventually I came upon a cell, so dark nearly no figure could be made out, sitting on their bed, offering prayers for my safety. Eventually they looked up, hearing my muffled gasps and sobs.

* * *

**Saria**

"Link?" I ask.

* * *

**Dark Link**

_"Link?" _I ask.

* * *

**Longest chapter yet! For the record, the FD speaks Hylian. And only speaks in Links mind. Let's talk about that ending. First of all, WHAT?! Link saved both of them? How did he pull that off? I honestly couldn't decide who I wanted him to save, so I just flipped a coin. When I wasn't happy with that result, I made this up. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	12. The Storm before the Hurricane

Chap 12: The Storm before the Hurricane

**(A/N) Hello everyone! Last chapter had Link saving Saria AND Dark. What? How? This will deal with just that. It is written from a non-subjective point of view, mainly because I realized my first-person chapter's suck. I feel like they suck do to the unnecessary proliferation of the pronoun "I". Also, sorry this has taken so unbelievably long to put out, inspiration has been a cruel mistress to me. Anyway, here's the new chapter. I hope you like it!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda.**

* * *

**Gerudo Prison**

"Link?! You're okay! Thank Farore; I thought you were a goner!" Saria said to the red-clad Link just outside her cell.

"Saria, stand back." Saria backed away and Red (as he will be referred to as heretofore) stretched his leg as far out as it would go, extended his sword arm as far out as it would go, and spun as fast as he could. The bars were cut now, but not gone. "I was afraid of that." Red sheathed his sword and grabbed the bars, his silver gauntlets allowing him the strength to bend them with relative ease. Saria let out a slight gasp, almost completely inaudible. Red certainly didn't catch it. Red was far too busy putting all of his focus on his arms, which were still busy prying the bars open.

"Link, when did you get so strong?" Saria asked, shocked at his display of power. Understandably so; she had never seen Link (or any form of Link for that matter) with his gauntlets. She only saw him before he could use them and he never used them after his battle against Ganondorf. The fact that she was shocked is entirely understandable. However, now that she had seen Link (or a form of Link) with such strength, her attraction to him was renewed.

Anyway, Red had the bars pried open within four minutes. Saria stepped out, letting a sigh of relief escape from her. "We have to move, now," Red said. Saria nodded and Red began walking off, drawing his sword in his right hand. Saria knew something was amiss when he did that. Saria still followed, but was now wary of her savior. _Whoever this is, it isn't Link._

After a Wallmaster dropped in front of them then receded back to its ceiling, they picked up the pace and were down the hall very quickly. Around then, Saria received a horrible migraine. She dropped to her knees, holding her head, moaning and groaning not unlike an alley cat mid-mating session. "Saria!" Red exclaimed, "Are you okay?" Saria nodded and tried to stand, but quickly found that she lacked the strength to do even that. "Don't move, I gotcha." Red picked Saria up and held her bridal style, continuing with their exodus, only stopping to hide from some horrible monster or kick a door in. Saria would've been able to notice and comment on said events, were it that she was conscious when they happened. The further Saria got from her cell, the worse the migraine got, eventually getting to the point where she was just knocked-out by it. Red was too busy saving her to notice he was hurting her.

* * *

They were near the exit when Saria once again regained consciousness. "Where are we? Who are you?" she asked, fully unaware of what had happened earlier. She would've been able to identify the hat Link wore, but he lost it back at Lake Hylia. As far as she knew, she was being relocated to a different cell. Saria rubbed her eyes to clear the fog from them, smiling lightly despite the headache when she saw that she was being carried by Link. "Hey, Link."

"What? Oh, hey Saria. Are you alright?"

"I should be fine. I'm tired. Where are we?"

"We're in a prison constructed by the demigoddess Dimesia. Well, to be accurate, we're 'bout to be outside a prison constructed by demigoddess Dimesia."

"That's good. When will we be home?"

"Soon, hopefully."

"Good. I can't wait to be far from here."

Just then, Saria and Red felt themselves being lifted forcefully off the ground. They were separated from each other, both attempting to reconnect. A wicked laugh could be heard before Dimesia poofed into existence before them, Link and Dark kneeling beside her. "Link?" Saria asked to the one in blue. She then looked right towards Red and forward at Dark. "What the hell?!" she screamed.

"Saria!" Link cried out. He was battered, bruised, slightly burnt, and had some blood trickling down his face from a benign cut on his forehead.

"It's a reunion! Only this one won't last long!" Dimesia exclaimed before conjuring a knife from thin air. The knife hurt Link slightly just looking at it. "You thought you could cheat the rules, save both by making another clone. You were wrong, oh so wrong, and now your fate continues as I said. Choose, Hero. Choose which one lives!" she said before driving the knife into Red's stomach. Both Red and Link cried out in pain. Red quickly disappeared and Link was left with a sore feeling where he was "stabbed".

* * *

**One hour earlier, Link**

_"Link?" _Dark asked, refusing to believe that he was being saved.

_"Yeah, it's me. You're gonna be fine, Dark."_

_"You and I have different definitions of that word, Link! In case you haven't noticed, my fucking leg's broken!"_ At that moment, Link felt like his leg had been broken as well.

"Dammit! _Why'd you say that?!" _Link exclaimed, _"You know I hurt when my clones hurt."_

_"Good. You need some pain, you pansy."_

_"I don't HAVE to save you. I really don't need you."_

_"Oh, come on, Link. It's just a joke. Come on, get me out of here."_

_"Are you sure a pansy such as myself is worthy of saving you?"_

_"Let me out or I'll kill you myself once I get out on my own."_

_"Easy, killer. Step back. You might want to take cover." _Link set a bomb down in front of the cell, lit it and ran away. Dark flipped his bed over and dropped behind it. The bomb exploded a few seconds later, throwing bits of metal here and there, one particular sharpened strip right next to Dark's head. _"Din!"_ he yelled. _"Come on!"_ Link said from beside the rubble, waving at Dark. _"Where have I seen that from?" _Dark asked himself. He shook the thought and limped after Link, who was walking away.

_"What are you doing here? Don't you have a demigoddess to kill?" _Dark asked Link.

_"Yeah, I do. I just realized I needed help doing it. You happened to be the most capable fighter I know." _Link responded.

_"Don't flatter me, Hero. I'm only good because you're good."_

_"You could literally just take the damn compliment. You're good because you're good. Not because I'm good, not because Stan was good, because you're good. Get some self-confidence, dammit!" _Dark was speechless. He couldn't understand why Link was being so kind to him even though he was always so rude to him. _"Thank you, Link." _Dark said with a grin. Link nodded and handed Dark a short sword. They were now at the stairway, the one that pissed Link off so deeply. Link gritted his teeth at the memory, but quickly let it go and ascended the stairway.

* * *

A Wallmaster had just landed right next to Link, its claw cutting his forehead slightly. "Ow!" he exclaimed before slicing the Walllmaster to pieces. _"Dark, come on! We're nearly there!" _Link shouted out. _"Give me a minute, dammit! My leg's broken, remember?" _Dark had shouted from thirty feet away. _"Slowpoke," _Link said under his breath. Dark caught up quickly and they exited the prison, something Dark was beyond ecstatic about. Link sprinted for the hole keeping them in and was lifted from the abyss that was the prison. Dark followed and was too out of the prison. The fresh air made him feel amazing, but the light hurt his eyes. There wasn't much for him to see, anyway. Moblins surrounded them in every direction. "Shit," Link whispered. "Infiernum mantelon!" Link shouted, making a sword ablaze appear in his hand. Dark drew his short sword and took a fighting stance. The two Links would not go down without one hell of a fight.

The moblins charged and Dark dropped, allowing Link to let an electric wave fly out. The first line was fried, the second paralyzed, the third shocked. Link ran and jumped on a first-line corpse, using his momentum to plunge his sword through two moblins and scratch another, setting it on fire. It began flailing and hitting other moblins, making them gang up on it, beating it down then stomping it to death. Link and Dark used the distraction to kill the moblins who didn't join the gang. When the gang turned their attention, almost simultaneously, from the charred and beaten corpse their eyes, also almost simultaneously, widened at the sight of their pack-mates dead on the ground while the dynamic duo still stood, battered despite their demeanor (one of strength and indifference), the blue one burnt on his arm where his sword accidently touched him. They charged and were too cut down by the expert swordsmen.

A distant growling was heard by the two and they turned to find seven of the monsters that chased Saria long ago charging at them. They dropped into a defensive position and the dogs, as they will be referred to as heretofore, continued charging. When they were ten feet from the dogs, something horrendous happened. The dogs, mid charge, exploded, throwing the two back. This barrage went on until the last dog was dead. The two slowly arose. Dark was the first up, spouting insult after insult. Link was unsteady on his feet. A distant, wicked laugh sounded out. Then Dimesia was on them, grabbing both by the throat, making them go limp due to her tentacles manipulating their neocortex's**(the part of your brain that lets you move)**. _"You see how easily I got you? You have no chance of winning this. Now, I believe one of your clones has just broken that green bitch out of her prison. You wanna watch her die? Come on, let's go watch her die!" _Dimesia said before teleporting to the Gerudo prison.

* * *

**Gerudo Prison**

"Saria!" Link cried out. He was battered, bruised, slightly burnt, and had some blood trickling down his face from a benign cut on his forehead.

"It's a reunion! Only this one won't last far too long!" Dimesia exclaimed before conjuring a knife from thin air. The knife hurt Link slightly just looking at it. "You thought you could cheat the rules, save both by making another clone. You were wrong, oh so wrong, and now your fate continues as I said. Choose, Hero. Choose which one lives!" she said before driving the knife into Red's stomach. Both Red and Link cried out in pain. Red quickly disappeared and Link was left with a sore feeling where he was "stabbed". "You have thirty seconds to choose, Hero. Time ticks on, regardless of your indecisiveness. Pick soon, or they both die."

Link sat there, motionless, no expression on his face, nothing happening on his exterior. But within himself, a battle raged on. The fighters: the advantages of saving Saria and saving Dark. He had made several tough decisions in his life, which color to wear today, what to do with Saria, should he feed Fado now or later, but this was definitely the toughest one he'd made yet. At ten to death, he was still minus an answer. At five he panicked. At three he answered.

His answer was so quiet he almost couldn't even hear it.

"What was that, Link? I couldn't hear you. Could you hear him, Saria?" Dimesia said. Saria had a look of shock, sadness, and horror on her face. She knew exactly what Link said.

"I-I said I choose… I choose…" Link began crying, but quickly stopped it, "I choose Dark." Dark Link's long, technically Hylian ears perked up when he heard this, not out of happiness, but out of shock. He looked at Link, stared hard at him, tried to comprehend why he chose him. He couldn't come up with anything.

"Is this your final choice, Link?" Dimesia asked, clearly trying to get him to make the wrong decision, if it can even be called that. Neither decision was truly wrong, but one was more correct. It was a morally gray decision. Link could do nothing but nod, for he lacked the strength to speak and watch Dimesia as she moved to Saria, who was staring at Link with the same look on her face. Eventually, it changed to one of stoic acceptance. Saria had amazing mental strength, and as Dimesia neared, she gradually lost fear for her.

"Link?" Saria called out. His gaze snapped to her. "It's okay. I want you to know that I… I wish we could have more time together. But this is how it must happen if Hyrule can continue to exist. Please, Link, be strong. Show me that you made the right decision."

Link couldn't hold it any longer. He refused to even make an awkward attempt at not crying. He began crying, sobbing, bawling, his heavy sobs making his whole body shake. Dark tried to think of something to comfort him but couldn't think of anything. Dimesia moved in front of Saria and brought the knife back. Saria closed her eyes and smiled. She smiled, despite her end being so near, despite her killer floating just before her, she smiled. Link looked on through his blurry vision at the two. And Dimesia threw her arm forward, plunging the knife deep into Saria's stomach. Saria stopped floating and fell fourteen feet to the ground. "NOOO!" Link screamed as he sprinted towards Saria. He kneeled next to Saria, who was quickly losing blood and was nearly unconscious. "Saria… I'm sorry. I failed you. I failed you. I failed you…" Saria took Link's hand in hers and smiled at him, some blood streaming from her mouth.

"Link, you haven't failed yet. There's… there's still time left. You can still succeed." Link knew what she meant, but at the same time, didn't.

"I'll get her Saria. Don't you doubt it." Link reached into his bag for something he never thought he'd give to Saria. Saria's eyes widened immediately when she saw what it was. "Saria, will you do me the honor of making me the happiest man to ever exist?" he said while holding an emerald-encrusted ring.

"Yes," Saria said weakly while smiling. Link placed the ring on Saria's finger and kissed her, not minding the coppery taste of Saria's blood. When Link pulled away from Saria he could see that she was still, her eyes closed. She looked peaceful. "Saria? Saria, are you there? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no… Saria!" Link once again refused to not cry. "Saria…" he said weakly.

"For some reason, I doubt now more than ever that you'll be able to beat me. But you're welcome to try!"

"Fuck you!" Dark shouted while he chucked a rock the size of his fist at her. Dimesia teleported away and the two swordsmen were left alone. But, for the first time, they felt truly alone. And they were terrified.

* * *

**These are manly tears! For some background on this whole fic, I drew a picture of Link, slightly wounded, holding Saria who had bled out. It was entitled "I'm Sorry". This is basically that scene, with some major changes. If you want to know what was changed, PM me. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	13. Must All Good Things Come to an End?

Chap 13: Must All Good Things Come to an End?

**(A/N) Hello everyone! So, Saria has… passed away. Link is left in shambles. Dark is unsure of his opinion on Link, but feels his pain. Dimesia is stronger than ever. Where could this have gone so wrong? Enjoy this last-ditch attempt at a 1st person chapter!**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**!**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

We were alone. Except for the rustling of leaves around us, my occasional heaving and sobbing and Dark's breathing, all was silent. Fall had taken its toll on the world around us. The grass had turned to a shade of beige, the trees were rapidly losing their leaves, and the cold was quickly setting in. Even my Zora tunic, designed to stave off cold and drowning, was nearly useless in the frigid air. I was still kneeling on the ground beside my cold-and-still beloved wife, Saria. She looked so peaceful, so happy, so… painless. I envied Saria, her death freeing her from her torment, all sadness washed away like one cleans grime from a sword. _There in an instant, gone the next._

Dark was the only one who dared break the silence. _"Link? I need you to speak, just so I can know you're still with me."_

I barely even registered what he was saying, his words merely going through my head. I barely heard the crunching of leaves behind me, and nearly didn't react on the hand touching me a second later. _Nearly._ I kicked out behind me, tripping Dark, set my beloved down and stood up._ "Don't fucking touch me!" _I screamed. Why had he touched me? Why would he snap me out of my thoughts, as if he had some right to take them from me? He stood up, the shock and distress worn on his face.

_"Link? Listen, I know something real messed up just happened, but we need to move. Like, now. Dimesia left to kill or destroy Nayru-knows-what, and we're the only ones who can stop her," _Dark said.

_"Is it too much to ask for a moment to at least say goodbye? Is that really too much? Can I not even have one moment with the only person I've ever loved?" _I asked. I turned back to Saria, the same peaceful look on her face. Not that I expected her to look any different. She wasn't warm when I picked her up. It was as if my embrace was the one thing providing her with heat. I wouldn't mind if the whole world fell away around us, leaving me with her for my sorrowful existence.

_"Link, we do not have time! We are literally the only people who've stood even something resembling a chance against Dimesia. It's just… I don't want to see this land fall around us. I don't want to be responsible for the destruction of Hyrule. Even if we can't save it, we have to try. After all, what were we other than the savior of Hyrule one person truly recognizes and his shadow?"_

_"We were people. We were people with emotions and strength. When emotion overpowers strength, bad things can happen. This is exactly what has happened."_

_"I know what we are, but this is our one chance to go down as the people who saved this land. Doesn't that mean something to you?"_

_"Is this about the fame to you, Dark?! Is that what all of this has been about for you, not just being remembered as my shadow?"_

_"Link, I won't be remembered as anything if we don't help your people. And it's not just your people, it's everyone. Do you think the Zora will survive if you just give up? The Gorons? They'll all die. The Hylians, Kokiri, Zora, Gorons, Gerudo, and anything else in this world will all die. Now I'm not asking again. Get up, or I leave to do your job for you." _When he was finished I was paralyzed. Not out of fear or worry, but out of realization. I hadn't even given thought to the other races of this world. Ruto, Darunia, Nabooru, Impa, Mido; they'd all be dead. And I was scared of that.

Slowly, I stood up, taking a final look at Saria as if that one gaze would bring her back. But I knew she was gone. _"Get two shovels and a piece of stone," _I commanded. Dark did so without question and we set to digging a grave, four feet deep, three feet wide, and five feet long. It was a bit tight in the end, but it served its purpose. Once Saria was in, comfortably, I left Dark to burying her. I went to the slab of stone Dark had found, thankful that it looked like an actual tombstone rather than a jagged piece of rock we'd have to whittle down. There was a sharp piece of rock nearby. I grabbed it and began chiseling the only words anybody who didn't know her personally would ever be able to know her by.

* * *

**Saria**

**Saria was the most important person in my life for most of it. Whenever we were near each other, sadness was practically impossible. Even in her final moments, she did all she could to make it easy for me. Will I ever find a person as charming, as kind, as beautiful as Saria? I very highly doubt it. Saria had long, green hair, enjoyed her natural appearance, and liked spending time with our dog, Fado. There was only one person she loved more than anything else: her husband, and myself, Link. She will never be forgotten.**

* * *

I hadn't even noticed that I was crying until I finished chipping the rock from the slab that would serve as Saria's makeshift tombstone. I also hadn't noticed that Dark was now standing next to me, wearing the same sad expression he'd had since we'd been captured. _"Let's set the stone and get going, Link," _he said. I nodded and stood up, my weary legs barely having strength to carry me to her… grave. Dark had dug a small spot for the tombstone to go in. It was a perfect fit.

Before I knew what had happened I was on my knees, my head in my hands, completely incapable of stopping the river of tears flowing from my eyes. Dark ran to catch me, but was just a little too slow. He ended up kind of kneeing me in the bicep, but I didn't really care. I couldn't feel anything. Dimesia, by killing Saria, had completely removed any emotion from me. The river stopped flowing. I stood up, slowly, drawing out the anger in me. Once I was up, you could practically see the anger and hatred emanating from me. Dark, my bad side incarnate, took a step back. _"Let's go find Dimesia, Dark." _I said in a deep voice I barely knew I had, nearly completely devoid of emotion. _Nearly._

_"Right, but I think we should rest first. Maybe get some blue potion. We need to recuperate."_

_"No, I just need to see her." _I contemplated showing Dark the mask, ultimately deciding to. _"This mask," _I said, "_will give me the power of a god. But I could barely control it last time. No problem now, I think. I was young and weak. Now, I'm older, stronger, faster. Better."_

_"Link, we're resting and that's that." _He said that and I thought about snapping his neck, because I knew I'd work better uninhibited, with no witnesses to the horrible things I would do to her once I caught her. I decided it would be best to just go with his suggestion, remembering that he and I had been through far too much to just throw it all away. _"Fine. I'll set up our fireplace and you should pitch our tent."_

_"What are you talking about? We're resting in town." _While a nice, warm bed, real food, and some outside communication was appealing, it would bring me farther from Dimesia.

_"If we go to town, we're putting more distance between us and Dimesia. Are you sure that's a good idea?"_

_"Absolutely. I wouldn't have even pitched the idea if I wasn't sure." _When he assured me that he thought about it, I was so weary and tired that I'd have believed him if he told me that the Trinity stood just behind me, wanting my autograph. I nodded and we set off for Castle Town. I took one glance back at Saria's grave, a lone tear working its way out of my eye. I made sure to look away before I broke down again.

* * *

Castle Town was in turmoil. Word had spread of Dimesia's existence and what she could do, and the people were terrified. Dark and I were nearly trampled when we entered, people doing all they could to get their families and leave, barricade their homes and businesses, protest the King, and defend Hyrule Castle. It was chaos.

_"_What the hell's happening here?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. "You people are packing up and leaving your lives behind, barricading houses and shops that are replaceable, speaking out against one of the few men who can actually do something about this, instead of trying to fight for one of the few places actually matters. Do you think these walls mean anything? I've seen her, Dimesia. She's incredibly powerful. These walls don't mean anything to her. It's the people within these walls that she wants. She feeds off of fear, sorrow, suffering, anger, any bad feelings. And I understand that it's hard not to feed her, what with everything that's going on around here. But, people, please steel yourselves. Don't show her fear! Don't show her anger! And, when she comes for our lives, show her that we're the ones who will survive! Show her that we, the people of Hylia, will not back down, will not run and hide, will not be weak! People! Arm yourselves! Because, when Dimesia comes, she's going to bring everything she has, and it'll take everything we have to fight her off! Now, everyone, grab a sword, a bow, a lance, anything that can be used as a weapon! Training starts today!"

"What do you know of our struggles? What could she have taken from you?" a random citizen called out, bringing back memories of the girl I once called Saria.

"She took my beloved wife…" I said, finding myself lacking the strength to hold my chin up. A series of gasps came forth from the crowd. I just then noticed that I was standing on the top of the fountain.

"What's your name, son?" another citizen, older though, asked.

"My name, sir, is Link."

"Link, thank you. I don't know about everyone else, but my old bones and muscles will be put to use defending my home. Is anyone else with me?"

"I'll stand by you!" another citizen said.

"And me as well!" said another. Before I knew it, the whole crowd was a chorus, their song one of unity and defiance. We would not let Dimesia roll over us, taking all of Hyrule with it.

"I need five runners!" I shouted over the noise the crowd had produced. Five young, lean men appeared before me. "You: Kokiri Forest. Warn them all of the oncoming doom. Bring as many as you can with you," I said, pointing at the youngest one, who roughly sixteen years old. He set off after about a minute of contemplation and prayer. "You: Lon Lon Ranch. Make sure Epona, Malon, and talon come with you. Bring Ingo if you want," I said, pointing at the shortest adult present, about five-foot six. He set off immediately. "You: Goron City. Bring every single one of them with you," I said to the most muscular present. He flexed briefly before running off. "You: Zora Domain. Make sure that Ruto and all soldiers come with you. Before you leave, make sure all the citizens there escape," I said to the tallest there, about six-foot five. "And you: Gerudo Fortress. Bring everyone back, even the elders. They're all competent warriors," I said to the only female present. She blushed before setting off.

The crowd had begun dissipating, everyone either going home to get weapons or finding a place to train with what they had. I walked to the inn to find Dark was already in a room he'd rented for us. When I entered, he was already fast asleep, his sword and shield set next to his bed. I sat on my bed before collapsing on my side. I had a dream that night. I dreamt that I was with Saria, in the Sacred Realm, an overwhelming sense of peace and pure bliss washing over us. We were together again. I never wanted it to end. But all good things must come to an end. And, like some things, this one ended with an explosion just outside my room, throwing Dark and I out of our beds. There was only one thing that could've done something like this. People were starting demolitions training. We were already about to win, I could feel it. But I couldn't shake a slight feeling that the explosives were provided by the Gorons, like most are. They seemed more… powerful. I couldn't place it, but something felt very wrong.

* * *

**Link kinda went off the deep end, didn't he? Looks like he brought himself back, but who knows. So, this is the beginning of the end, people. There aren't very many chapters left. Now, since day one, I planned on getting to at least 30,000 words. However, if things go the way I want them to, I may end up with 40,000 or more words. Anyway, there's about five or six chapters left (I think). There may be more than five or six, but certainly not less. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	14. The Sacrifices We Make

Chap 14: The Sacrifices We All Make

**(A/N) Hello everyone! Last chapter, Link was horribly damaged but appears to have fixed himself and risen up, once again. Is this all just a show? Is he actually okay, or is he just putting on a show for his troops? I hated how long it took to write this chapter, especially considering it had a minimal amount of Link actually in it. This writing style is exclusive to this chapter. Chapter 15 will be back to normal.**

_Italics means thoughts or someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**_!_**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

It was a cold November day. It's been about two weeks since Link gave his speech. The runners Link had sent had, from what I heard, all returned back with their respective parties, minus the Zora who were nearly wiped out by Dimesia. Dark Link, Link's right hand-and-arm, and Ruto had a tearful reunion. It was very sweet and heartwarming to most everyone (including myself) who saw them and their inter-species love. Some were naturally repulsed, and everyone eventually left, but most enjoyed the sight of love in such troublesome times. The Kokiri were hard at work making armor from the trees that surrounded their now-burning town. Mina was relocated to the Hyrulian Home for the Criminally Insane. She's not expected to be released any time soon. The Gorons were working on weapons and other such defenses. They had already built the outermost of three stone walls, each to be twenty feet thick, from the border of Kakariko Town to Mt. Nohansen, a mountain claimed under the rule of (obviously) King Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule. Dimesia would be hard pressed to find a place to breach through easily. Given that she is a demigoddess with short-distance teleportation abilities, it shouldn't be too difficult for her to get through the walls. Her minions should have some trouble.

Currently, Link is in a tavern the town has deemed our base of operations. He is, technically, our acting leader, so he is the one giving orders. A friend of mine, a knight named Dominic, was pretty upset over being led by a kid half his age. Dominic, one week ago, challenged Link to a fight. Link soundly and quickly beat Dominic, who refused to accept defeat until Link snapped his arm. In all honesty, I don't believe the arm-breaking was necessary. I thought for a moment that I had heard Dominic ask me for help, which was strange since Dominic was one of the strongest and best fighters I knew, so him being beaten so quickly by a fourteen-year-old shocked anyone who saw it. The creepiest part is that Link didn't have any sort of reaction to breaking Dom's arm. Currently, Dominic is sitting inside his home, being assisted by an ugly woman twice his age in basic things, like writing.

The King is currently hiding out in a special hidey-hole only him and a few of his top knights know about. Luckily, Dom knew a guy who knew a guy who was one of the knights, so I at least know about the places existence. He has, well and truly, abandoned us. I would pray for his safety, but I never liked the man in the first place.

I suppose it's been a bit rude to talk so much without even introducing myself. I am Sergeant First Class Isaac Cox, Knight in His Majesty's army. I am a bisexual man **(If you have issues with the LGBT community, skip this chapter. There's a small yaoi scene later on.)**. In exactly two months, four days, five minutes I will be twenty-six. I've been told by several of my friends and family members that I'm "too punctual" or "obsessed with time", but it's bullshit. If anything, they just don't understand the importance of being on time.

At the moment, Link was going over strategies with Dark while Ruto sat in the corner, reading some book about Dark Clones. I thought for a moment about asking her about it, but she talks a bit too much for me. "Isaac?" a voice I don't quite register calls out.

"What? Who said that?" I ask. I turn around to find one of my closest friends holding his clock out to me.

"It's me, you idiot. Rex? We dated during training?"

"Oh, hey Rex. What do you need?" I ask, feeling my face turn ever so slightly red at the thought of us dating. In the end, he was the one who broke it off, thinking he was dragging me down. He had some minor depression issues back then. I remember one time I walked into his room, only to find him, knife in hand, ready to slit his wrists.

"I need you to set my clock. You're the only person I know who always knows what time it is."

"Oh, shut up and hand me the clock." He did so and, after a brief period of undoing his damage, I set it to the exact time: 14:31:28.

"Thanks!" he exclaimed before walking off. I couldn't help but stare as he walked off. I clearly had something to do this weekend: get over Rex.

"Okay, Knights, listen up!" Link shouted, "Dimesia will most likely be coming from the south or east sides of our walls. I need the following knights to report to the East Wall: Sergeant Max Ryder, Lieutenant Jacob Reys, Sergeant First Class Isaac Cox, Staff Sergeant Rex Shepherd, and, when he gets back, Captain Dominic Shepherd. All East-Wallers, dismissed!"

* * *

Rex and I decided to talk on the way there. However, we didn't make it but eight feet from the door when Link came after us, message in hand. "Sergeant First Class Isaac Cox?" he asked me.

"Yessir?"

"Letter for you. Farore be with you," he said as he slapped his chest with his fist. Then he was gone.

"Who's it from?" Rex asked.

"Says it's from Antle Town. That's where my folks are." I said as I opened it. It'd been a long time since I got my last letter from them; I was getting a little worried.

"'To the remaining son of William and Mira Cox, we leave in your bank account five-thousand Rupees. We regret to inform you of the death of one or more members of your family. We apologize for your loss.'", I flipped it over, looking for a dog's name or something, but only found the names of my parents and little brother, "No. No, this isn't possible. This can't be! They can't be dead! It isn't possible!" I screamed, feeling the tears push themselves from my eyes.

"I (my nickname), relax. It's gonna be okay," Rex said, but I could just make out the tears in his eyes as well, "It's gonna be okay… It'll be okay…"

"Tell the East Wall Captain I'll be there tomorrow!" I shouted as I ran to the drawbridge. I had to see for myself. I had to be sure…

* * *

It took me nearly two hours to get to Antle Town by horseback at full gallop, but I made it. The morgue was, luckily, still open. I opened the door to find several crying people and families. "What happened?" I asked.

"Didn't you hear? She attacked us; blew up a whole neighborhood. We all lost people in the explosion," a man, maybe thirty-seven, said, unable to meet my eyes. I just stood there, shaking my head. What else was there to do? Then I remembered why I came here in the first place. I walked up to the receptionist and asked if he had a Cox family, which he snickered about before leading me to the morgue itself.

It was frigid in there, that much I'm sure of. The stench of slightly decomposed flesh and muscle lingered in the air. It was easy to tell there were dead people here. But that wasn't why I came. "Here is a Mr. William Cox," he said before pulling a drawer filled with (what was left of) my father out, "Mrs. Mira Cox," he said before pulling my mom's drawer. She was missing her left arm and part of her left side entirely, but was otherwise intact. I think my father died trying to protect her. "And, lastly, Mr. Luis Cox." It was Luis' corpse that sparked me. He was one of two people who supported my military career choice. And he was dead. Fully intact, yes, but dead. It was his completeness that unnerved me. That, and his slightly black veins. His was the strangest of them all.

"Sir, please leave. I need a moment with them."

"I understand," he said while giving the universal sign for "give me money". I just shot him a look that said "leave or I'll gut you", and he left. I just remained silent. I couldn't bring myself to actually speak. I had nothing to say. It was my decision to leave. Maybe, if I was there for them more often, I'd have been able to convince them to move to Castle Town. But it was too late. Finally, I broke the silence. "Hey, Mom, Dad… Luis. It's, uh, been a little while, hasn't it? Sorry I missed your birthday last year, Lulu. Sorry I missed your anniversary celebration, mom; dad. Tests and all that bullshit. How long has it been, two years? I've been a knight for four. The tests were a lie. I just didn't want to visit. I didn't know that the last time I'd see you would be two years ago," the tears started back up again.

"I was planning on coming this weekend, actually. I bought Lulu a wooden sword so he could play knights with his friends. I bought you, mom, a sapphire ring. I know blue is your favorite color. Dad, I bought you a new pipe. Yours was gonna start rotting soon. I'm sorry I wasn't here sooner. I wish I could've at least seen you all… one more time…" and with that I set all of their gifts on top of them, except moms. I put hers on her hand for her. "I'm so sorry…" I said before I began sobbing loudly, probably loud enough for the people in the lobby to hear.

"Hey," that familiar voice said. I didn't even hear him coming. I guess that's why he was assigned a scout position in our company.

We just stood there, my back to him, him at a comfortable distance, my sobbing now almost inaudible. "I?"

"Why are you here? I gave you a direct order…"

"When have I ever reported to you?" he asked.

I turned around, a slight grin on my face. "Good point."

"There he is! Oh, you got a little hair there. Let me just get it for you," he said while brushing some of my long, brown hair away from my eyes. I was about four inches taller than him, but at that moment I felt two inches tall. "I?" he asked again.

"What?" I asked, though I felt as though I knew exactly what would happen. He stepped forward once, stood up a bit, and kissed me. It was exactly what I needed at this moment. "Rex… thank you!" I exclaimed before I restarted our romance. No matter what, I knew I would always have Rex on my side. And Dominic, too. And all of A Company, East Wall, 15th Battalion. I would always have their support, no matter what I decided or did. They were my family now. My only family, not my replacement. I would see to it that, by the end of this, Dimesia's head rested on a stake. She was going to pay.

"I! It's seven o'clock! We gotta move!" Rex yelled when he looked at his clock.

"What're we waiting for then? Let's move, Sergeant!" I shouted behind me after closing the drawers and bolting up the stairs. In that moment, I had a vision: Rex and I, standing atop a mountain of Dimesia's forces, declaring our victory to all of A Co. We would win. I was almost sure of it. _Almost__._

* * *

**Hello, anyone who stuck around! I hope you enjoyed that chapter and, like me, have no issue with anyone of a different sexuality. How'd you guys like having a Bi character? Did you enjoy him? Did you hate him? PM me, give me feedback. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	15. A Strange Way to Make Friends

Chap 15: A Strange Way to Make Friends

**(A/N) Hello everyone! Someone finally favorited the story! It took so long, but it happened and it makes me happy. I'm a bit disappointed that nobody reviewed chapter 14, but I don't actually care. Not enough to take out any anger on anyone. Well, this is the new chapter, and I really hope you enjoy it.**

_Italics means thoughts, someone is speaking sharply, or it means someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**_!_**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

"Where the hell is Sergeant Cox?!" Isaac Cox had heard on his way away from his post. He decided that today would be the third day in a row he'd skip. He'd been hanging out with Rex these past two days, and today was no different. They weren't officially dating again, but they were actively attempting to decide whether or not they wanted to. _Even if we don't, we'd still be best friends, so there's no real harm in not dating. Still, I have a hard time telling myself dating would be a bad idea. I do care deeply about Rex, and leading him on like I've been doing these past few days would just be rude. Besides, I need someo-_

WHAM! "Sergeant First Class Isaac Cox, what do you think you're doing?! Evading your post job? You've been AWOL these past few days! What if Dimesia attacked? Don't you want to put that bitches head on a stake?! The bitch that killed your family?!" exclaimed acting commander Lieutenant Jacob Reys. He looked down at the man he had just knocked down with a forceful (but not painful) palm strike in the lower back.

"Don't you dare talk about my family…" Isaac growled.

"I'll talk about whoever I damn well please!" the captain shouted. Isaac was slowly getting up so the lieutenant wouldn't know what he was doing. However, before he could strike, Link came around the corner to find the lieutenant ready to kick Isaac down again.

"Lieutenant Jacob Reys, what do you think you're doing?! Get the fuck away from him!" Isaac looked at Link with a thankful expression on his face. "And you! Get to your post, now!" Both Isaac and Reys scrambled away from each other, Isaac slinking away to his plans with Rex and Reys going back to the Wall Tower. "Nayru save this army…" Link muttered while he continued walking to his destination: the unofficial break room, East Wall. He was supposed to give a speech he'd stayed up all night writing, which ended up being stolen by a few ruffians he was too tired to deal with. He had to give the speech based off memory and improvise what he forgot.

* * *

"There you are! You're fifteen minutes late, almost to the second!" exclaimed Staff Sergeant Rex Shepherd.

"Sorry I'm late; I got in a small fight with Reys. Motherfucker was talking about my family. I can't believe you told everyone about them." Isaac stated, slightly angry about the whole situation.

"Didn't I already apologize for that?" Rex asked with an innocent look on his face. Isaac just shook his head and pretended to walk away, going just far enough for Rex to give chase. Speaking of chasing, Rex did in fact chase after Isaac. The both of them had fun running with each other, vaulting over obstacles, jumping off cliffs and roofs, storming through hallways. "Isaac! Come back! I'm sorry!" Rex said, the laughing breaking any bit of sincerity in his voice to pieces.

"Never!" Isaac called out behind him before being stopped by a wall of muscle that rose six feet from the floor. Rex stopped dead in his tracks, panting, exhausted. Isaac looked up at the figure who barely even flinched when he was charged at, but was still smiling down. The figure reached out a hand to help Isaac up, which he took.

"Captain Dominic Shepherd, welcome back," said Rex.

"Hey there, little brother. Isaac, hello." Isaac nodded at Dominic before he felt the exhaustion strike him, causing him to double over in a small-but-horrible coughing fit. "I! You okay?!"

"Yeah, I'm-I'm fine. Just asthma."

"You have asthma?" asked the captain, "Why was I never informed of this?"

"I remember putting it down on my signup form," said Isaac.

"And I remember telling you," chimed in Rex. "Looks like you just weren't paying attention, Dom."

"What'd you say to me? I can -and will- beat you up, both of you."

"Chill, Dom. It's just a joke," Isaac said before the morning bell rang.

"Shit, I gotta go report in. Hey, I'll see you two at Joseph's, alright?" Dom asked as he ran to the check-in room.

"Yeah, see you then!" Isaac and Rex shouted at him as he ran away.

"Are we done playing, or…" Rex asked.

"You're it!" Isaac said as he slapped Rex on the shoulder and ran away.

"Oh, now you messed up!" Rex shouted at Isaac as he bolted after him.

* * *

Captain Dominic, Staff Sergeant Rex, and Sergeant First Class Isaac were all regulars at Joseph's Pub. They had been going there these past two years, almost every day, so they had a steady friendship with the owner, Joseph. Currently, they were sitting in their favorite booth, having a generally good time. They were only slightly above the legal limit of public drunkenness. Suddenly, Link walked in. "There you guys are. What are you doing? You're all missing right now. You all have jobs to do." Dominic decided to speak up.

"Listen, sir, we're just trying to relieve some of the stress the machine you've built has put on us gears. So, chill the fuck out, sit the fuck down, and grab a beer."

"And you're all drinking!" Link exclaimed, "You all know that's against standard regulation, right?" The three soldiers just shook their heads. "Well it is, and… wait, did you offer me alcohol?"

"Yes sir, I did," Dominic replied.

"Well, I'm a minor, and that's… ah, screw it. Hand me a beer." Isaac handed Link a mug full of Hyrulian ale. "You know, you guys are all finable for this. But, uh, I'll probably pardon you if you get in trouble."

"Thanks, sir. Hey, do you all want to play in a bit? You know, when we're all done?" Isaac asked. Dom and Rex nodded, Link just kind of glared at him.

"Adults play, too?" Link asked.

"Absolutely! Why, just after you caught me about to beat Reys' ass, Rex and I played tag. Dom and I wrestle all the time. Of course, he wins all the time cause he's bigger and stronger than me. Maybe you and I can fence together sometime."

"I'd like that. You know," Link said as he leaned back, mug half-empty, "you guys are all right."

"Duh. We've been trying to get the word out, but no-one listens." Dom said, followed by laughter from the whole group.

"Well, let's go fence Isaac."

"Now? I still have like… three small sips left," Isaac said while examining his mug VERY deeply.

"Well, hurry up then. You two, too," Link said to the group.

"Yes, sir," the group groaned. Link turned and left the building. He spent the next four minutes waiting for the group to come out.

"Let's go, guys!" Link said as he led the way to the back of the building. The group didn't know it, nor did Link, but if they survived the war, they'd all be present at each other's weddings. They'd all become the best of friends, spending most of their waking hours with each other. It is indeed a strange way of making friends, the way they did. But it's not about the method, it's about the result. It's always about the result.

* * *

**So, Link and the others are friends now. I feel like this was the best way to get me to the ending I want. On a side note, I got the new Daft Punk album, Random Access Memories. It's pretty great. Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


	16. A Birthday to Remember

Chap 16: A Birthday to Remember

**(A/N) Hello everyone! So, Isaac, Rex, and Dominic are now friends with Link. That'll probably help them out sooner or later. It usually helps to be friends with the best fighter in all of Hyrule. This chapter made me question the story's plot so far, where it's going, and why I write it in the first place. Luckily, Norkix told me that I could either continue it, and find my muse again, or I could leave it and anyone who actually still likes it. Don't worry, I will NEVER just stop writing a story. If I start something, I'm finishing it. And that's that. Enjoy the chapter.**

_Italics means thoughts, someone is speaking sharply, or someone has spoken Hylian. It can also mean a flashback. _**Bold means an author's note or some sort of text, which I will seldom use. **Underlined text implies importance. I am unlikely to remember that. Have fun**_!_**

**Oh, and I don't own any piece of The Legend of Zelda. I own, literally, more air than Zelda. **

* * *

"Rex! Where are you, you white-haired freak?!" Link called out. He had been searching for Rex for the past ten minutes. The group was celebrating Link's fifteenth birthday party, and didn't want Rex to miss out. Why they sent the birthday boy himself, I do not know.

"I'VE TOLD YOU, IT'S A GENETIC THING!" Rex yelled from his quarters at the end of the hall. Link began running down the hall.

"Yeah, and nobody cared! Now get to Joseph's!"

"Or what?!" Rex shouted. Link was at his door and in the process of kicking it open, when Rex opened the door. Rex only gasped slightly before Link's foot made full-forced contact with his groin. He fell to the ground in agony while Link apologized profusely. Eventually, Link decided to carry Rex bridal-style to Joseph's.

"This is going to be REALLY difficult to explain to Dom…" Link muttered.

"No shit, it'll be difficult to explain!" Rex exclaimed.

* * *

They arrived outside Joseph's about thirteen minutes later. Dominic was helping his brother with his serious injury while Isaac was laughing uncontrollably at it. "It's not funny!" Rex groaned/yelled.

"You're right, it's hilarious!" Isaac managed to say while laughing.

"It's kind of funny, brother," Dominic said.

"I really do apologize…" Link murmured.

"I know you do, Link. You really better," Rex said in a high-pitched voice.

"Do you think a beer might help, Rex?" Isaac asked once he had calmed down.

"Why yes, Isaac, I do. Get it for me, would you?"

"Comin' right up, buddy."

After a round of beers and apologies from Link, the group had completely calmed down. They were now back to their usual level of comfort when Dark Link rammed through the door. _"Link!"_ he screamed before scanning for Link, _"We need your help! Dimesia's attacking!"_

_"What?!" Where?!"_

_"East Wall, around where those three should be!"_

"Shit! Isaac, Dom, suit up and report to the wall! Be careful!"

"Yessir!" Isaac and Dom said in unison before running to the armory.

"Rex, I want you to hide. You're in no condition to fight."

"Sir, I can fight! I'm fine!" Rex exclaimed while attempting (in vain) to stand.

"Rex, you can't even stand. Joseph, help Rex to your basement!"

"Yes sir!" Joseph said.

_"Dark! Let's go!"_ Link said before bolting to the East Wall with Dark. Joseph helped Rex walk to the basement, which had a chair and three books, none of which interested Rex in the slightest. It was also practically impenetrable.

"I can't fucking believe he just left me," Rex said while curling up in the chair.

* * *

"Lieutenant Reys! Where are you?!" Link shouted through the chaos that occurred in East Wall. Soldiers were running to and fro, trying to maintain order among the civilians that had crowded around the exit. Some were more willing to risk their lives out in Hyrule Field than they were to eke out their meager existence here.

"Over here, sir!" Reys shouted back. Link looked to where he believed the sound came from to find Reys holding his arm, which appeared to have holes in it.

"What happened to your arm?!"

"Dimesia stabbed me! Drilled her fingers right into me!"

"Where is she?!"

"Outside, sir! Be careful; bitch has an army with her!"

"Comprised of?"

"Moblins, Keese, Stalfos, and about three Iron Knuckles."

"Thank you, Reys. Citizens, listen up! Dimesia is right outside our door. I'm going to go have a chat with her. I need any able-bodied men and women to report to the armory and grab whatever weapons and armor they see fit. I need archers to be ready to attack at a moment's notice. Stay hidden! Children, go to Joseph's Pub. Tell Joseph Link sent you. Make sure he takes you to the basement. Dark Link, Isaac Cox, and Dominic Shepherd, follow me!"

"Yes sir!" Dom and Isaac shouted.

_"Fuck my life,"_ Dark Link muttered under his breath, _"Coming!"_

When they all had assembled, Link gave the order to lower the drawbridge. When they could see past it, they all felt a knot grow in their stomachs. There must have been 70 Moblins, 400 Keese, thirty Stalfos, and the three aforementioned Iron Knuckles. "Reys! I want you with us too!"

"Yes sir!" _I'm GOING TO DIE, _Reys thought. Once Reys had arrived behind Dom (because he was afraid of Dimesia and her army), the group moved out. The Moblins never attacked; they just stared at them, making the group very uncomfortable. Two of the Stalfos began communicating by knocking their bones together. Link, Dark, and Isaac all felt distressed and horrified by everything out here, while Reys felt safe behind Dom, who was pulling a completely blank face.

"Isaac, what do you think?" Link asked.

"Looks bad, sir. One misstep and we'll be shredded. Everyone needs to be incredibly careful." When Isaac said this, Reys' already low psyche completely snapped. He began crying, wishing he was back home. The loud noise startled the Moblins, because they began shrieking and readying to attack. "Reys, you fucking idiot! You've killed us all!"

"ENOUGH!" a familiar feminine voice screamed. The Moblins went back to their positions and the group un-huddled. "Link, what do you want? You've got a lot of nerve coming out here unarmed!"

"I want to know why you're here. What purpose does this serve? There's no point in you attacking Hyrule!"

"Fucking hell, you're stupid. It serves the point of taking over this continent, then the planet. I'm creating my empire. How didn't you see that? What kind of idiot can't fucking see that?!" It was obvious Dimesia was pissed at Link; she seemed pissed at anyone in screaming (and killing) range.

_"Why did we come out here again?"_ Dark asked Link. It was a good question **(and not even one I as an author can answer)**, being that they seemed to be in the middle of a horde of enemies and in front of a sadistic, masochistic demigoddess. _"'Cause this makes no sense to me __whatsoever.__"_

_"That is a very good question, Dark. Now seems like a really good time to get the fuck out of here."_

"You're not going anywhere," Dimesia said with a slight growl.

"Well I saw this coming- ARCHERS! ATTACK NOW!"

At that moment, a platoon of archers popped up from the half-wall that provided their cover. They took aim and fired, killing most of the Moblins around Link's group and nicking Dimesia. She collapsed, bleeding profusely from her minor wound. "MEDIC!" she screamed. An Iron Knuckle picked her up by the shoulders and took her back to her tent kingdom.

Link and his group had busied themselves with killing Moblins and getting back to East Wall. At the moment, Link was stabbing a Moblin in the stomach, Dark Link was slitting another Moblin's throat, Isaac was breaking a Moblin's arm, Dom was using his axe to decapitate one, and Reys was cowering on the floor, trying not to get killed.

When the group had killed enough Moblin's to safely retreat back to East Wall, Link ordered Dom to carry Reys back.

* * *

"Why did we even go out there?!" Isaac shouted.

"I don't know, Isaac. All I know is that we almost died, and that Dimesia is hemophiliac."

"Hemo- what?" Isaac asked, obviously confused by the big word Link used to describe Dimesia's strange blood condition.

"Hemophiliac. It means that when she bleeds, she bleeds a lot. It's really difficult for her to stop bleeding once she starts," Link elaborated.

"Oh, I see. So we really just have to nick her in, like, three places?" Dom asked.

"Yeah, but the question is 'How are we going to get that close?'"

_"Link?" _Dark said.

_"Yeah, Dark?" _Link responded.

_"I have an idea. And I've been working on my Modern Hylian. I know exactly what you three were talking about."_

_"Oh? What were you thinking?"_

_"You, Isaac, and I- when Dimesia next shows up- perch atop East Wall. When she shows her face- _we strike," Dark suggested.

"Dark! You spoke a language I understand!" Isaac exclaimed.

"Y-Yes, but you sh-shouldn't expect it too m-much. _I only know so much._"

"Regardless of what language he speaks, his ideas need to be solid. Dark, that's an okay-at-best idea. Nothing we should act out exactly as it's stated, but it's alright. I'll toy with it tonight."

"True. I think we should all, except Dom, go home and- what the fuck?!" Isaac exclaimed as he watched Reys fall, twitching and screaming.

"Reys! What the hell's the matter with you?!" Link yelled.

"I-Inside!" Reys managed to say before he began hallucinating. It's been said that everyone's hallucinations are different, but Reys seemed pretty standard, especially when you consider that they're all terrifying. Reys thought he was covered by ReDeads, who were eating his flesh from every area imaginable. "DIN! HELP ME, DIN!"

"Medic! Someone help him!" Isaac screamed. He hated Reys more than anyone else (according to himself), but he couldn't just watch someone suffer like this. Luckily for him, he didn't have to much longer.

"What just happened?" Reys asked during the short moment of calm they had.

"We don't know. You fell down, and you were screaming a-and twitching. We were all very afraid," Isaac informed him. Dark nodded.

"All right. Well, someone help me up," Reys said while holding his hand out. Dom stepped forward and grabbed his hand firmly, pulling gently but forcefully enough to raise Reys. When Reys was about to be able to stand on his own, Dom still holding his hand, he froze. His grip tightened and his face went flat. He screamed before spikes erupted from his body, skewering Dom's hand and thigh. Reys bled from just about everywhere, and was killed the second the spikes emerged.

"Fucking hell!" Dom screamed.

"Dom!" Link and Isaac screamed.

"Get him away from me!" Dom screamed.

Link and Isaac moved in to remove Reys from Dom, but both froze when they saw that the spikes were barbed. Dark was frozen in terror. "Dom?" Isaac asked.

"Yeah, I?"

"Here, bite down on my belt," Isaac said while removing his leather belt.

"Why? What's wrong?!" Dom shouted.

"Just do it," Link commanded, "This is going to hurt."

"Ready Link?" Isaac asked while setting his hands on Reys shoulders which, luckily, had no sharp protrusions.

"Yeah, let's do this," Link said while setting his hands on Reys' gut. "Pull!"

Isaac groaned while pulling as hard as he could on Reys, Link pushing. Dominic was busy screaming while biting down as hard as he could on Isaac's belt.

"Fuck! Keep going!" Isaac shouted when Link stopped to breathe. Reys spikes were almost out by now. "Dom, drinks are on me tomorrow!"

Finally, they removed Reys from Dominic. Dom fell down, hand and thigh completely torn up. "Where's that fucking medic?!" Isaac screamed.

"Here, sir! What happened?!" the medic asked.

"Just fucking help him!" Link shouted.

"Yes sir!" the medic exclaimed before dragging Dominic back to the infirmary.

"Isaac!" Dom shouted before he was completely out of sight. "I owe you one."

Dark was still standing in the same spot, breathing heavily. _"Shit,"_ he whispered when Link and Isaac had left to give Rex the news.

* * *

"Ahahahahaha!" Dimesia laughed from her bed. She could see everything that had happened thanks to Reys' spike's tips doubling as eye ports. "That couldn't have gone any better!"

"What happened?" the Void Master asked?

"I poisoned one of his soldiers. Oh, I modified the poison a little, gave it a little more 'shock and awe'."

"I did not permit you to do so! Why would you disobey me?" yelled.

"I'm sorry, father! Please, calm down…" Dimesia said submissively.

"I will calm down when I have a daughter who is obedient! What are you doing here?! Isn't he holed up in the kingdom?"

"Yes, sir."

"Why aren't you attacking him right now?!"

"He struck me, father! I almost bled out!"

"And you dare call yourself my daughter? Leave!"

Dimesia stood and limped out of her tent, closing the link between her and her father. She hates talking to him.

* * *

**Sorry this took so long to upload; I was busy watching Angel Beats. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I hated writing it, because I HATED writing this chapter. We got introduced to Dimesia's asshole father, the Void Master. Hooray for fictional versions of a demon I don't believe exists! Please review, it lets me know whether or not I suck. It also lets me know if I rule, which I'd love to hear about. Until then, if there are no questions, I'm out. Peace.**


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